U.S. TV host Wendy Williams shocked viewers in America on Monday (20Jan14) by breaking down in tears as she described her rocky relationship with her son. The outspoken star was discussing the controversy surrounding Madonna's use of the N-word on a caption accompanying a picture of her son Rocco sparring in a boxing ring, when she was overcome with emotion and began to sob.
Williams explained that her relationship with her 13-year-old son Kevin, Jr. is very different to the way the Material Girl relates to her own boy, saying, "Rocco's 13 years old and Rocco is a real fan of his mother... Kevin, I discovered this a while ago, but the ball just got smacked home this weekend... He's all into his father, you know how 13 year olds are, I was the same way when I was 13, but it is breaking my heart.
"He's a father, he's a buddy, they talk sneakers, they go for hair cuts, they speed off in the cars and I'm just left there feeling like, 'Why you so p**sed?' I'm not p**sed, I'm a mom!... Thank God he (Kevin) has his buddy, and father. Anyways, she's (Madonna) lucky that he (Rocco) likes her."
Kevin, Jr. is Williams son with husband and manager Kevin Hunter.
Madonna apologised for use of the racial slur on Saturday (18Jan14), revealing it was used as a term of endearment between her and her son, writing in a post on Facebook.com, "It was not meant as a racial slur. I am not a racist. There's no way to defend the use of the word. It was all about intention... It was used as a term of endearment toward my son who is white. I appreciate that it's a provocative word and I apologise if it gave people the wrong impression. Forgive me."

Tim Mcgraw and Luke Bryan are among the recipients of the 2013 CMT Artists of the Year awards. Five of country music's biggest names were handed the coveted accolade on Tuesday (03Dec13), with McGraw and Bryan honoured alongside Jason Aldean, Hunter Hayes and Florida Georgia Line at the prizegiving in Nashville, Tennessee.
During the show, each act was was joined on stage by some of their famous friends to sing their hit songs.
McGraw was the night’s first honouree and he was later was joined by Lady Antebellum and Peter Frampton on guitar to perform his hit Highway Don't Care.
Dierks Bentley paid tribute to his "drinking buddy" Bryan, and brought Motown to Nashville by singing a duet with Lionel Richie, while Florida Georgia Line accepted the award from their idols and collaborators Alabama.
The youngest winner of the group, 22-year-old Hayes, was overwhelmed by the honour as well as his musical collaborations of the night, which included Pat Monahan from Train and Frampton, who returned to the stage to present Hayes with his prize.
Aldean was presented with his fourth consecutive Artist of the Year trophy by Nashville actress Hayden Panettiere before taking to the stage with Cassadee Pope and country music star Travis Tritt.

Everett Collection
The 2014 Sundance Film Festival lineup for the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary competition and the out-of-competition NEXT section is officially here, and damn are we excited.
As the festival has evolved and grown, so has the long list of actors and directors who have eagerly jumped on board to be a part of the indie film scene, which means that the lineup of actors for the upcoming event is looking pretty solid. In 2014 we can look forward to seeing the works of those like Glenn Close, Susan Sarandon, John Slattery, Aaron Paul, Kristen Stewart, and Mark Ruffalo, and comedians such as Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Lena Dunham, Jenny Slate, Aubrey Plaza, Amy Sedaris, and more.
The festival will run from Jan. 16 to 26 in Park City, Utah and will include 118 features. Still to come are the lineups for Slates for Spotlight, Park City at Midnight, New Frontier, Premieres and Documentary Premieres, and the new Sundance Kids category.
Check out the lineup so far (via Vulture):
DRAMATIC COMPETITION
Camp X-Ray / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Peter Sattler) — A young woman is stationed as a guard in Guantanamo Bay, where she forms an unlikely friendship with one of the detainees. Cast: Kristen Stewart, Payman Maadi, Lane Garrison, J.J. Soria, John Carroll Lynch.Cold in July / U.S.A. (Director: Jim Mickle, Screenwriters: Jim Mickle, Nick Damici) — After killing a home intruder, a small town Texas man's life unravels into a dark underworld of corruption and violence. Cast: Michael C. Hall, Don Johnson, Sam Shepard, Vinessa Shaw, Nick Damici, Wyatt Russell.Dear White People / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Justin Simien) — Four black students attend an Ivy League college where a riot breaks out over an “African American” themed party thrown by white students. With tongue planted firmly in cheek, the film explores racial identity in postracial America while weaving a story about forging one's unique path in the world. Cast: Tyler Williams, Tessa Thompson, Teyonah Parris, Brandon Bell.Fishing Without Nets / U.S.A., Somalia, Kenya (Director: Cutter Hodierne, Screenwriters: Cutter Hodierne, John Hibey, David Burkman) — A story of pirates in Somalia told from the perspective of a struggling, young Somali fisherman. Cast: Abdikani Muktar, Abdi Siad, Abduwhali Faarah, Abdikhadir Hassan, Reda Kateb, Idil Ibrahim.God's Pocket / U.S.A. (Director: John Slattery, Screenwriters: John Slattery, Alex Metcalf) — When Mickey's stepson Leon is killed in a construction "accident," Mickey tries to bury the bad news with the body. But when the boy's mother demands the truth, Mickey finds himself stuck between a body he can’t bury, a wife he can’t please, and a debt he can’t pay. Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, Christina Hendricks, John Turturro.Happy Christmas / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Joe Swanberg) — After a breakup with her boyfriend, a young woman moves in with her older brother, his wife, and their 2-year-old son. Cast: Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Mark Webber, Lena Dunham, Joe Swanberg.Hellion / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kat Candler) — When motocross and heavy metal obsessed, 13-year-old Jacob's delinquent behavior forces CPS to place his little brother Wes with his aunt, Jacob and his emotionally absent father must finally take responsibility for their actions and each other in order to bring Wes home. Cast: Aaron Paul, Juliette Lewis, Josh Wiggins, Deke Garner, Jonny Mars, Walt Roberts.Infinitely Polar Bear / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Maya Forbes) — A manic-depressive mess of a father tries to win back his wife by attempting to take full responsibility of their two young, spirited daughters, who don't make the overwhelming task any easier. Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana, Imogene Wolodarsky, Ashley Aufderheide.Jamie Marks is Dead / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Carter Smith) — No one seemed to care about Jamie Marks until after his death. Hoping to find the love and friendship he never had in life, Jamie’s ghost visits former classmate Adam McCormick, drawing him into the bleak world between the living and the dead. Cast: Cameron Monaghan, Noah Silver, Morgan Saylor, Judy Greer, Madisen Beaty, Liv Tyler.Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter / U.S.A. (Director: David Zellner, Screenwriters: David Zellner, Nathan Zellner) — A lonely Japanese woman becomes convinced that a satchel of money buried in a fictional film is, in fact, real. Abandoning her structured life in Tokyo for the frozen Minnesota wilderness, she embarks on an impulsive quest to search for her lost mythical fortune. Cast: Rinko Kikuchi.Life After Beth / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jeff Baena) — Zach is devastated by the unexpected death of his girlfriend, Beth. When she mysteriously returns, he gets a second chance at love. Soon his whole world turns upside down... Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Cheryl Hines, Paul Reiser.Low Down / U.S.A. (Director: Jeff Preiss, Screenwriters: Amy Albany, Topper Lilien) — Based on Amy Jo Albany's memoir, Low Down explores her heart-wrenching journey to adulthood while being raised by her father, bebop pianist Joe Albany, as he teeters between incarceration and addiction in the urban decay and waning bohemia of Hollywood in the 1970s. Cast: John Hawkes, Elle Fanning, Glenn Close, Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage, Flea.The Skeleton Twins / U.S.A. (Director: Craig Johnson, Screenwriters: Craig Johnson, Mark Heyman) — Estranged twins Maggie and Milo coincidentally cheat death on the same day, prompting them to reunite and confront the reasons their lives went so wrong. As the twins' reunion reinvigorates them, they realize the key to fixing their lives may just lie in repairing their relationship. Cast: Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Luke Wilson, Ty Burrell, Boyd Holbrook, Joanna Gleason.The Sleepwalker / U.S.A., Norway (Director: Mona Fastvold, Screenwriters: Mona Fastvold, Brady Corbet) — A young couple, Kaia and Andrew, are renovating Kaia´s secluded family estate. Their lives are violently interrupted when unexpected guests arrive. The Sleepwalker chronicles the unraveling of the lives of four disparate characters as it transcends genre conventions and narrative contrivance to reveal something much more disturbing. Cast: Gitte Witt, Christopher Abbott, Brady Corbet, Stephanie Ellis.Song One / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kate Barker-Froyland) — Estranged from her family, Franny returns home when an accident leaves her brother comatose. Retracing his life as an aspiring musician, she tracks down his favorite musician, James Forester. Against the backdrop of Brooklyn’s music scene, Franny and James develop an unexpected relationship and face the realities of their lives. Cast: Anne Hathaway, Johnny Flynn, Mary Steenburgen, Ben Rosenfield.Whiplash / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Damien Chazelle) — Under the direction of a ruthless instructor, a talented young drummer begins to pursue perfection at any cost, even his humanity. Cast: Miles Teller, JK Simmons.
NEXT
Appropriate Behavior / U.S.A., United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Desiree Akhavan) — Shirin is struggling to become an ideal Persian daughter, a politically correct bisexual, and a hip, young Brooklynite, but fails miserably in her attempt at all identities. Being without a cliché to hold on to can be a lonely experience. Cast: Desiree Akhavan, Rebecca Henderson, Halley Feiffer, Scott Adsit, Anh Duong, Arian Moayed. World Premiere.Drunktown's Finest / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Sydney Freeland) — Three young Native Americans—a rebellious father-to-be, a devout Christian woman, and a promiscuous transsexual—come of age on an Indian reservation. Cast: Jeremiah Bitsui, Carmen Moore, Morningstar Angeline, Kiowa Gordon, Shauna Baker, Elizabeth Francis. World Premiere.The Foxy Merkins / U.S.A. (Director: Madeleine Olnek, Screenwriters: Lisa Haas, Jackie Monahan, Madeleine Olnek) — Two lesbian hookers work the streets of New York. One is a down-on-her-luck newbie; the other is a beautiful—and straight—grifter who's an expert on picking up women. Together they face bargain-hunting housewives, double-dealing conservative women, and each other in this prostitute buddy comedy. Cast: Lisa Haas, Jackie Monahan, Alex Karpovsky, Susan Ziegler, Sally Sockwell, Deb Margolin.A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Ana Lily Amirpour) — In the Iranian ghost town Bad City, a place that reeks of death and loneliness, depraved denizens are unaware they are being stalked by a lonesome vampire. Cast: Sheila Vand, Arash Marandi, Dominic Rains, Marshall Manesh, Mozhan Marnó, Milad Eghbali. World Premiere.Imperial Dreams / U.S.A. (Director: Malik Vitthal, Screenwriters: Malik Vitthal, Ismet Prcic) — A 21-year-old, reformed gangster's devotion to his family and his future are put to the test when he is released from prison and returns to his old stomping grounds in Watts, Los Angeles. Cast: John Boyega, Rotimi Akinosho, Glenn Plummer, Keke Palmer, De'aundre Bonds. World Premiere.Land Ho! / U.S.A., Iceland (Directors and screenwriters: Martha Stephens, Aaron Katz) — A pair of ex-brothers-in-law set off to Iceland in an attempt to reclaim their youth through Reykjavik nightclubs, trendy spas, and rugged campsites. This bawdy adventure is a throwback to 1980s road comedies, as well as a candid exploration of aging, loneliness, and friendship. Cast: Paul Eenhoorn, Earl Nelson, Alice Olivia Clarke, Karrie Krouse, Elizabeth McKee, Emmsjé Gauti. World Premiere.Listen Up Philip / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Alex Ross Perry) — A story about changing seasons and changing attitudes, a newly accomplished writer faces mistakes and miseries affecting those around him, including his girlfriend, her sister, his idol, his idol's daughter, and all the ex-girlfriends and enemies that lie in wait on the open streets of New York. Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Elisabeth Moss, Jonathan Pryce, Krysten Ritter, Josephine de La Baume. World Premiere.Memphis / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Tim Sutton) — A strange singer drifts through the mythic city of Memphis, surrounded by beautiful women, legendary musicians, a stone-cold hustler, a righteous preacher, and a wolf pack of kids. Under a canopy of ancient oak trees and burning spirituality, his doomed journey breaks from conformity and reaches out for glory. Cast: Willis Earl Beal, Lopaka Thomas, Constance Brantley, Devonte Hull, John Gary Williams, Larry Dodson. World Premiere.Obvious Child / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Gillian Robespierre) — An honest comedy about what happens when Brooklyn comedian Donna Stern gets dumped, fired, and pregnant, just in time for the worst/best Valentine's Day of her life. Cast: Jenny Slate, Jake Lacy, Gaby Hoffmann, David Cross, Gabe Liedman, Richard Kind. World Premiere.Ping Pong Summer / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michael Tully) — 1985. Ocean City, Maryland. Summer vacation. Rap music. Parachute pants. Ping pong. First crushes. Best friends. Mean bullies. Weird mentors. That awkward, momentous time in your life when you're treated like an alien by everyone around you, even though you know deep down you're as funky fresh as it gets. Cast: Susan Sarandon, John Hannah, Lea Thompson, Amy Sedaris, Robert Longstreet, Marcello Conte. World Premiere.War Story / U.S.A. (Director: Mark Jackson, Screenwriters: Kristin Gore, Mark Jackson) — A war photographer retreats to a small town in Sicily after being held captive during the conflict in Libya. Cast: Catherine Keener, Hafsia Herzi, Vincenzo Amato, Donatella Finocchiaro, Ben Kingsley. World Premiere.
U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITIONAlive Inside: A Story of Music &amp; Memory / U.S.A. (Director: Michael Rossato-Bennett) — Five million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease and dementia—many of them alone in nursing homes. A man with a simple idea discovers that songs embedded deep in memory can ease pain and awaken these fading minds. Joy and life are resuscitated, and our cultural fears over aging are confronted. All the Beautiful Things / U.S.A. (Director: John Harkrider) — John and Barron are lifelong friends whose friendship is tested when Barron's girlfriend says Barron put a knife to her throat and raped her. Not knowing she has lied, John tells her to go to the police. Years later, John and Barron meet in a bar to resolve the betrayal.CAPTIVATED The Trials of Pamela Smart / U.S.A., United Kingdom (Director: Jeremiah Zagar) — In an extraordinary and tragic American story, a small town murder becomes one of the highest profile cases of all time. From its historic role as the first televised trial to the many books and movies made about it, the film looks at the media’s enduring impact on the case. The Case Against 8 / U.S.A. (Directors: Ben Cotner, Ryan White) — A behind-the-scenes look inside the case to overturn California's ban on same-sex marriage. Shot over five years, the film follows the unlikely team that took the first federal marriage equality lawsuit to the U.S. Supreme Court.Cesar's Last Fast / U.S.A. (Directors: Richard Ray Perez, Lorena Parlee) — Inspired by Catholic social teaching, Cesar Chavez risked his life fighting for America’s poorest workers. The film illuminates the intensity of one man’s devotion and personal sacrifice, the birth of an economic justice movement, and tells an untold chapter in the story of civil rights in America. Dinosaur 13 / U.S.A. (Director: Todd Miller) — The true tale behind one of the greatest discoveries in history. Day One film.E-TEAM / U.S.A. (Directors: Katy Chevigny, Ross Kauffman) — E-TEAM is driven by the high-stakes investigative work of four intrepid human rights workers, offering a rare look at their lives at home and their dramatic work in the field. Fed Up / U.S.A. (Director: Stephanie Soechtig) — Fed Up blows the lid off everything we thought we knew about food and weight loss, revealing a 30-year campaign by the food industry, aided by the U.S. government, to mislead and confuse the American public, resulting in one of the largest health epidemics in history. The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz / U.S.A. (Director: Brian Knappenberger) — Programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz achieved groundbreaking work in social justice and political organizing. His passion for open access ensnared him in a legal nightmare that ended with the taking of his own life at the age of 26. Ivory Tower / U.S.A. (Director: Andrew Rossi) — As tuition spirals upward and student debt passes a trillion dollars, students and parents ask, "Is college worth it?" From the halls of Harvard to public and private colleges in financial crisis to education startups in Silicon Valley, an urgent portrait emerges of a great American institution at the breaking point. Marmato / U.S.A. (Director: Mark Grieco) — Colombia is the center of a new global gold rush, and Marmato, a historic mining town, is the new frontier. Filmed over the course of nearly six years, Marmato chronicles how townspeople confront a Canadian mining company that wants the $20 billion in gold beneath their homes. No No: A Dockumentary / U.S.A. (Director: Jeffrey Radice) — Dock Ellis pitched a no-hitter on LSD, then worked for decades counseling drug abusers. Dock's soulful style defined 1970s baseball as he kept hitters honest and embarrassed the establishment. An ensemble cast of teammates, friends, and family investigate his life on the field, in the media, and out of the spotlight. The Overnighters / U.S.A. (Director: Jesse Moss) — Desperate, broken men chase their dreams and run from their demons in the North Dakota oil fields. A local Pastor's decision to help them has extraordinary and unexpected consequences.Private Violence / U.S.A. (Director: Cynthia Hill) — One in four women experience violence in their homes. Have you ever asked, “Why doesn't she just leave?” Private Violence shatters the brutality of our logic and intimately reveals the stories of two women: Deanna Walters, who transforms from victim to survivor, and Kit Gruelle, who advocates for justice. Rich Hill / U.S.A. (Directors: Andrew Droz Palermo, Tracy Droz Tragos) — In a rural, American town, kids face heartbreaking choices, find comfort in the most fragile of family bonds, and dream of a future of possibility. Watchers of the Sky / U.S.A. (Director: Edet Belzberg) — Five interwoven stories of remarkable courage from Nuremberg to Rwanda, from Darfur to Syria, and from apathy to action. WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION
52 Tuesdays / Australia (Director: Sophie Hyde, Screenplay and story by: Matthew Cormack, Story by: Sophie Hyde) — Sixteen-year-old Billie’s reluctant path to independence is accelerated when her mother reveals plans for gender transition, and their time together becomes limited to Tuesdays. This emotionally charged story of desire, responsibility, and transformation was filmed over the course of a year—once a week, every week, only on Tuesdays. Cast: Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Del Herbert-Jane, Imogen Archer, Mario Späte, Beau Williams, Sam Althuizen. International Premiere.Blind / Norway, Netherlands (Director and screenwriter: Eskil Vogt) — Having recently lost her sight, Ingrid retreats to the safety of her home—a place she can feel in control, alone with her husband and her thoughts. But Ingrid's real problems lie within, not beyond the walls of her apartment, and her deepest fears and repressed fantasies soon take over. Cast: Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Henrik Rafaelsen, Vera Vitali, Marius Kolbenstvedt. World Premiere.Difret / Ethiopia (Director and screenwriter: Zeresenay Berhane Mehari) — Meaza Ashenafi is a young lawyer who operates under the government's radar helping women and children until one young girl's legal case exposes everything, threatening not only her career but her survival. Cast: Meron Getnet, Tizita Hagere. World Premiere.The Disobedient / Serbia (Director and screenwriter: Mina Djukic) — Leni anxiously waits for her childhood friend Lazar, who is coming back to their hometown after years of studying abroad. After they reunite, they embark on a random bicycle trip around their childhood haunts, which will either exhaust or reinvent their relationship. Cast: Hana Selimovic, Mladen Sovilj, Minja Subota, Danijel Sike, Ivan Djordjevic. World Premiere.God Help the Girl / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Stuart Murdoch) — This musical from Stuart Murdoch of Belle &amp; Sebastian is about some messed up boys and girls and the music they made. Cast: Emily Browning, Olly Alexander, Hannah Murray, Cora Bissett, Pierre Boulanger. World Premiere.Liar's Dice / India (Director and screenwriter: Geetu Mohandas) — Kamala, a young woman from the village of Chitkul, leaves her native land with her daughter to search for her missing husband. Along the journey, they encounter Nawazudin, a free-spirited army deserter with his own selfish motives who helps them reach their destination. Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Geetanjali Thapa, Manya Gupta. International Premiere.Lilting / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Hong Khaou) — The world of a Chinese mother mourning the untimely death of her son is suddenly disrupted by the presence of a stranger who doesn't speak her language. Lilting is a touching and intimate film about finding the things that bring us together. Cast: Ben Whishaw, Pei-Pei Cheng, Andrew Leung, Peter Bowles, Naomi Christie, Morven Christie. World Premiere.
Lock Charmer (El cerrajero) / Argentina (Director and screenwriter: Natalia Smirnoff) — Upon learning that his girlfriend is pregnant, 33-year-old locksmith Sebastian begins to have strange visions about his clients. With the help of an unlikely assistant, he sets out to use his newfound talent for his own good. Cast: Esteban Lamothe, Erica Rivas, Yosiria Huaripata. World Premiere.To Kill a Man / Chile, France (Director and screenwriter: Alejandro Fernandez Almendras) — When Jorge, a hardworking family man who's barely making ends meet, gets mugged by Kalule, a neighborhood delinquent, Jorge's son decides to confront the attacker, only to get himself shot. Even though Jorge's son nearly dies, Kalule's sentence is minimal, heightening the friction. Cast: Daniel Candia, Daniel Antivilo, Alejandra Yañez, Ariel Mateluna. World Premiere.Viktoria / Bulgaria, Romania (Director and screenwriter: Maya Vitkova) — Although determined not to have a child in Communist Bulgaria, Boryana gives birth to Viktoria, who despite being born with no umbilical cord, is proclaimed to be the baby of the decade. But political collapse and the hardships of the new time bind mother and daughter together. Cast: Irmena Chichikova, Daria Vitkova, Kalina Vitkova, Mariana Krumova, Dimo Dimov, Georgi Spassov. World Premiere.Wetlands / Germany (Director: David Wnendt, Screenwriters: Claus Falkenberg, David Wnendt, based on the novel by Charlotte Roche) — Meet Helen Memel. She likes to experiment with vegetables while masturbating and thinks that bodily hygiene is greatly overrated. She shocks those around her by speaking her mind in a most unladylike manner on topics that many people would not even dare consider. Cast: Carla Juri, Christoph Letkowski, Meret Becker, Axel Milberg, Marlen Kruse, Edgar Selge. North American Premiere.White Shadow / Italy, Germany, Tanzania (Director: Noaz Deshe, Screenwriters: Noaz Deshe, James Masson) — Alias is a young albino boy on the run. His mother has sent him away to find refuge in the city after witnessing his father's murder. Over time, the city becomes no different than the bush: wherever Alias travels, the same rules of survival apply. Cast: Hamisi Bazili, James Gayo, Glory Mbayuwayu, Salum Abdallah. International Premiere.
WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
20,000 Days On Earth / United Kingdom (Directors: Iain Forsyth &amp; Jane Pollard) — Drama and reality combine in a fictitious 24 hours in the life of musician and international culture icon Nick Cave. With startlingly frank insights and an intimate portrayal of the artistic process, this film examines what makes us who we are and celebrates the transformative power of the creative spirit. World Premiere.Concerning Violence / Sweden, U.S.A., Denmark, Finland (Director: Göran Hugo Olsson) — Concerning Violence is based on newly discovered, powerful archival material documenting the most daring moments in the struggle for liberation in the Third World, accompanied by classic text from The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon. World Premiere.The Green Prince / Germany, Israel, United Kingdom (Director: Nadav Schirman ) — This real-life thriller tells the story of one of Israel’s prized intelligence sources, recruited to spy on his own people for more than a decade. Focusing on the complex relationship with his handler, The Green Prince is a gripping account of terror, betrayal, and unthinkable choices, along with a friendship that defies all boundaries. World Premiere.
Happiness / France, Finland (Director: Thomas Balmès) — Peyangki is a dreamy and solitary eight-year-old monk living in Laya, a Bhutanese village perched high in the Himalayas. Soon the world will come to him: the village is about to be connected to electricity, and the first television will flicker on before Peyangki's eyes. North American Premiere.Love Child / South Korea, U.S.A. (Director: Valerie Veatch) — In Seoul in the Republic of Korea, a young couple stands accused of neglect when "Internet addiction" in an online fantasy game costs the life of their infant daughter. Love Child documents the 2010 trial and subsequent ruling that set a global precedent in a world where virtual is the new reality. World Premiere.Mr leos caraX / France (Director: Tessa Louise-Salomé) — Mr leos caraX plunges us into the poetic and visionary world of a mysterious, solitary filmmaker who was already a cult figure from his very first film. Punctuated by interviews and previously unseen footage, this documentary is most of all a fine-tuned exploration of the poetic and visionary world of Leos Carax, alias Mr. X. World Premiere.My Prairie Home / Canada (Director: Chelsea McMullan) — A poetic journey through landscapes both real and emotional, Chelsea McMullan’s documentary/musical offers an intimate portrait of transgender singer Rae Spoon, framed by stunning images of the Canadian prairies. McMullan’s imaginative visual interpretations of Spoon’s songs make this an unforgettable look at a unique Canadian artist. International Premiere.The Notorious Mr. Bout / U.S.A., Russia (Directors: Tony Gerber, Maxim Pozdorovkin) — Viktor Bout was a war profiteer, an entrepreneur, an aviation tycoon, an arms dealer, and—strangest of all—a documentary filmmaker. The Notorious Mr. Bout is the ultimate rags-to-riches-to-prison memoir, documented by the last man you'd expect to be holding the camera. World Premiere.Return to Homs / Syria, Germany (Director: Talal Derki) — Basset Sarout, the 19-year-old national football team goalkeeper, becomes a demonstration leader and singer, and then a fighter. Ossama, a 24-year-old renowned citizen cameraman, is critical, a pacifist, and ironic until he is detained by the regime's security forces. North American Premiere.SEPIDEH – Reaching for the Stars / Denmark (Director: Berit Madsen) — Sepideh wants to become an astronaut. As a young Iranian woman, she knows it’s dangerous to challenge traditions and expectations. Still, Sepideh holds on to her dream. She knows a tough battle is ahead, a battle that only seems possible to win once she seeks help from an unexpected someone. North American Premiere.We Come as Friends / France, Austria (Director: Hubert Sauper) — We Come as Friends views colonization as a human phenomenon through both explicit and metaphoric lenses without oversimplified accusations or political theorizing. Alarmingly, It is not a historical film since colonization and the slave trade still exist. World Premiere.Web Junkie / Israel (Directors: Shosh Shlam, Hilla Medalia) — China is the first country to label “Internet addiction” a clinical disorder. Web Junkie investigates a Beijing rehab center where Chinese teenagers are deprogrammed. World Premiere.
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This week’s Once Upon a Time was a whirlwind of answers — both from the past and the present. We discovered where August has been hiding, more about the mysterious “Her” that Owen keeps calling, and how everything and everyone seems to be connected in Storybrooke — whether you like it or not. Plus, fans were treated to the knowledge that Hook has escaped from his NYC basement and his handsome face will soon return to our TV screens. Read on for all of the enchanting details you may have missed from, “Selfless, Brave, and True.”
Hong Kong Hallucinations: In a flashback to Phuket circa 2011, August was enjoying sweet dreams with an attractive lady at his bedside. Everything looked peachy until August was startled awake with a horrible and very fairytale specific side-effect: His leg was turning to wood. The doctors at the hospital scoffed at August because to the non-magical eye, his leg looked perfectly fine. Just when all seemed lost, August was introduced to a mystical healer by the name of The Dragon. It looks like August wasn’t the only familiar face hoping to be cured, Tamara — Neil’s NYC fiancé — was also in the waiting room!
RELATED: 'Once Upon A Time' Recap: A Fresh Start And A Blackened Heart
August entered the room and immediately The Dragon recognized that he was Pinocchio, and that his left leg was reverting back to its former wooden glory. For payment, the healer asked for a personal item that is irreplaceable, so August reluctantly passed along the string of his necklace because it was once one of the strings attached to him as a puppet. The dragon — clearly a man who enjoys the finer things in life — also asked for $10,000 and in exchange, he would give August a glowing, totally legit-looking vial of potion.
August clearly did not have enough money to pay The Dragon, but while he was silently panicking, Tamara invited him to join her for a drink and pulled out a gigantic envelope filled with cash to pay the bartender. Predictably, when Tamara stepped out to take a call, August snatched the cash and bought his magic potion from The Dragon. Just when he was about to swallow his cure, Tamara — clearly super pissed — came out of nowhere and chased a limping August down an alley. August dropped the vial and Tamara snatched it up, leaving her former drinking buddy in the gutter.
Here’s the twist: Tamara lied to August and said that she had cancer — however there was nothing wrong with Tamara when she went to go see The Dragon. It turns out Tamara is some kind of magic hunter, and up until now, her long journey had only brought her to frauds and fakes. But The Dragon was the real deal. However, despite that fact that The Dragon could create real magic, Tamara whipped out a stun gun and killed him — it was pretty random and confusing as to why a stun gun was her weapon of choice, but hey girl, no judgment.
RELATED: 'Once Upon A Time' Post Mortem: The Cast Reacts To [spoiler!]'s Murder
Storybrooke Solutions: Emma, Neil, Henry and the fresh from New York Tamara were having what appeared to be the world’s most awkward breakfast together. When Emma and Henry stepped out, Neil decided it would be best to tell Tamara the truth of his past and whipped out Henry’s fairytale book — but like any seemingly normal person, Tamara thought Neil was being crazy. She told Neil to come find her when he was ready to reveal his true feelings about their relationship and then stormed off to Granny’s.
Snow finally decided to get out of bed after weeks of wallowing, and went to the forest to practice a little sharp shooting. She discovered a trailer where August has been hiding, and was shocked to see that he had completely reverted back to wood — yet he could still walk and talk like a human. August told Snow that he doesn’t want anyone to ever see him like this, he was not returning to Stroybrooke and she should not tell anyone where he was.
It only took about 2.5 seconds for Snow to run to Granny’s and spill August’s secret to Emma, Gepetto — and inadvertently Tamara too, because the nosy stranger was eavesdropping. While Emma and Snow headed to The Blue Fairy to ask for her help, Tamara discovered August’s hiding place and offered him a deal: If he left Storybrooke, and promised to never return, August could have the potion that she stole back from him two years ago. All he wood have to do is drive back to her NYC apartment to get it. When August questioned Tamara’s motives in Storybrooke, she quickly dismissed his accusations but did reveal that she was indeed “quite human.”
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Just as August was crossing the town lines, he discovered a picture that Tamara claimed she had given to The Dragon as payment. August quickly realized that Tamara not only lied, but had also killed The Dragon. He retuned to Stroybrooke and attempted to call and warn Emma of Tamara’s evil ways, however, Tamara cut off his call and used her taser to zap the life out of August’s solid wood body. August died in Emma’s arms before he could reveal the name of his electrically-charged assailant.
But all was not lost! Because August acted “selfless, brave, and true” that day, The Blue Fairy restored life to our handsome hero — but of course there was a twist. August was brought back to life, but he was turned back into a “real boy” — not a real man — and he had no recollection of his former hot and grown-up self. At Neil’s side, Tamara witnessed the whole thing and she assured/lied to her fiancé that despite all of this craziness, he is what she signed up for.
Later that night, Owen — who Regina finally recognized and threatened — went to call the infamous “Her” in his phone, only to realize that she was right outside his door. “Her” is actually Tamara, and in the creepiest and most bizarre twist of the entire episode, the two magic-obsessed individuals began making out.
RELATED: ‘Once Upon a Time’ Post Mortem
What did you think of “Selfless, Brave, and True”? What do you think Tamara wants with the magic is Storybrooke: Will she destroy it or keep it? Are you devastated that we’re never going to see grown-up August again? Cast your spell in the comments below!
Follow Leanne on Twitter @LeanneAguilera
[Photo Credit: ABC]
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This week’s episode of Glee was like a bowl of free waiting room candy. It was sweet, generic, and it made you smile, but it didn’t change your day too much. It was really just a way to help pass the time. In “Guilty Pleasures,” the glee club revealed their deepest darkest secrets while our terrific threesome in New York did the exact same thing. One person professed their love while another finally got their ass kicked to the curb — find out who’s who and so much more in this week’s glee-bee loving recap!
So Here’s What You Missed on Glee:
You Put The Boom Boom Into My Heart: The episode opens and we see Blaine looking all kinds of adorable in his Cheerios uniform and offering his best buddy Sam 50 dollars. Apparently when Blaine was walking through the cafeteria the other day he saw Sam stealing bags of pasta, and Blaine just wants to make sure that everything is all right with his family. Sam admits with a reluctant smile, “I have been stealing pasta but it’s not for dinner, it’s art.” (Side-Note: Color me intrigued…)
Sam takes his bestie into an empty classroom and reveals his incredible macaroni portraits featuring Emma Stone, Leann Rimes, The dudes from Duck Dynasty, and Kurt. Sam admits, “They’re my guilty pleasure, my art teacher thinks I’m some sort of genius.” (Side-Note: These are great and all my dear Sam, but where is the portrait of your lady love Miss Brittany S. Pierce? Doesn’t she deserve to have her lovely face captured in the essence of macaroni? Sigh.)
Sam then tells Blaine it’s his turn to reveal his guilty pleasure. “Everybody’s got that one thing that they like — that they’re so ashamed of that they refuse to admit it to anybody.” In order to stop himself from professing his love for Sam right then and there, Blaine quickly admits that he loves the ‘80s band Wham!
Tina then pops into the classroom, revealing that Mr. Schue is sick that week and glee club is therefore canceled. Sam then says one of the best lines of the entire episode: “Hey, just curious, are you going to go over to his house, straddle him while he’s passed out, and rub some ointment on his chest?” (Side-Note: Hah! Burn! Goodness it’s nice to see Trouty Mouth using those lips for well-timed jokes instead of just those countless impressions. And sorry Tina, but it’s still beyond weird that you vapo-raped Blaine.)
Blaine and Sam decide to take over the New Directions for the week, and they assign a fun new assignment: Guilty Pleasures! (Side-Note: Has anyone else noticed the fact that Mr. Schue has been MIA for the majority of the season? Tsk tsk! He used to be so devoted to these kids — he would teach even when he was sick and hallucinating mini New Directioners!) Blaine and Sam break quickly break into a finger-snapping, shorty shorts-wearing, neon-infused rendition of Wham!’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” and it was pure ‘80s perfection. (Side-Note: Do you think Glee’s version of “Wake Me Up” was better than Zoolander’s or Family Guy’s? Cast your vote in our Wham!-tastic poll!)
Later in the locker room, Sam admits another shameful secret to Blaine: Sam is a Barry Manilow fan! Blaine encourages his friend to embrace his inner Fanilow at glee club, so Sam puts on the most ruffly purple sleeves I have ever seen in my entire 23 years of existence and shimmies and shakes his way through the choir room singing “Copacabana.”
As the music plays, one-by-one the New Directioners join Sam, showcasing their hottest dance moves. (Side-Note: Okay who else saw Brittany channeling her inner Rebel Wilson and doing a little mermaid dancing on the choir room floor?! Don’t ever change honey!) At the end of the performance the boys all admit that they too love Mr. Barry Manilow, and Sam looks like an overly excited second grader as he beams at his friends.
Spice Up Your Life: Over in the hallway, Brittany approaches Kitty with a blunt and amazing greeting. “Guess what? Everyone hates you.” Kitty quickly explains that she’s trying to be better, and that even her pastor says “Jesus took baby-steps.” Brittany quickly counters, “Do you go to the church of Satan? Because you’re really mean. You tell Marley that she’s fat even though your face looks like a soccer ball and we both know that blondes have magical powers like doing the splits and turning Swedish.” (Side-Note: It’s so true. We blondes do have magical powers. However do you think my hair gets this shiny? Or how do you explain that I practically survive on gummy bears and coffee? It’s magic!)
Holy Crap it’s time for the greatest web series ever created: Fondue For Two!! (Side-Note: I knew it was coming but I still screamed when I saw that gooey cheese flash across my TV screen. Fondue For Two automatically makes me all warm and fuzzy inside and I fully intend to channel my blonde magical powers and be a guest on there one day. Dream big ladies!) Brittany automatically jumps into her brilliantly honest self. “So Kitty, everyone at school hates you because you’re a two-faced lying slut who no one can trust.” Miss Pierce says that people just haven’t really gotten to know her yet, so she needs to use this time on Fondue for Two to reveal her deepest darkest secrets — her guilty pleasures. Kitty reveals, “I like to fart around old people and watch their faces because they just assumed they did it.” (Side-Note: Um… ew.)
The two lovely ladies go back and forth, admitting their love of all the Bring it On movies, and Kitty finally whispers her guiltiest of pleasures into Brittany’s ear. The next day at school, Tina and the rest of the glee club ladies confront Kitty — demanding to know what her secret is. Kitty refuses but Brittany lets it slip: The Spice Girls. Cue the natural girl freak out in 3… 2… 1! The ladies shriek in delight and all admit that they absolutely love the Spice Girls. (Side-Note: Fun-Fact: When I was in 5th grade I hosted a Spice Girls sleepover and invited all my friends to dress up as their favorite singer. Obviously I was Baby Spice and I rocked that lollipop and pigtails with pride.)
Over in the auditorium the girls are deciding which Spice Girl they all want to be, and Brittany looks to Unique saying — “Mercedes, I don’t think you should be Scary Spice just because you’re black. I think it’s really racist that Scary Spice is the only black one.” So here’s the breakdown: Brittany is Sporty, Marley is Posh, Kitty is Ginger, Unique is Baby and that leaves Tina as Scary. (Side-Note: Umm no. If Unique wanted to be Scary, why is she stuck being Baby Spice? I personally think that Marley’s doe-eyes would have been best for Baby and then Tina could get some sexy time to shine as Posh. The next time I see Mr. Murphy I’m definitely bringing this up!)
After a super spicy introduction from Sam and Blaine, the music starts and our Glee girls pay homage to a ‘90s classic “Wannabe.” (Side-Note: Damn. I’m kinda sad I’m not more excited about this. Kitty looks all kinds of fierce as Ginger and Marley is pulling off Posh way more then I ever thought she could, but I really think that someone else besides Unique should have had the lead vocals in this song. I would’ve loved to hear Brittany rap out the A-Z part. And they clearly should’ve let Ryder take part in this. He was adorably excited during this whole performance.)
NEXT: Boyfriend Pillows and Ex-Boyfriends
Confessions and Cash: What a coincidence you guys! In the amazing New York side of Glee, Kurt is also admitting his guilty pleasures. From his obsessive marathons with powerhouse women in TV history, to his sweating with the oldies workout tapes with the one and only Richard Simmons — Kurt has quite a few guilty pleasures. (Side-Note: I personally wish his guilty pleasure would be calling Blaine more often, but hey that’s just my suggestion. Now please excuse me while I re-watch “Come What May” again…)
But Kurt’s deepest darkest guilty pleasure is his boyfriend arm — oh yes, you read that correctly! Basically it’s a pillow that looks like half of a headless torso that you can sleep with at night so you can feel like you’re being cuddled. (Side-Note: Okay I’m torn. On one hand this is beyond creepy, but on the other I want to lay down with a fella pillow and see what all the fuss is about. I’d name my pillow Hunter. Bonus Points to the first person who tweets me if they know the meaning behind my fake man-pillow’s name.)
After watching Santana and Kurt bicker in the bathroom while Rachel is channeling her inner opera-singer in the shower, it’s clear that Brody is no longer a loft resident. (Side-Note: Yeah, I guess getting your skanky ass whooped by your girlfriend’s true love would be pretty intimidating.) We then see a flashback to when Body was moving out, and he didn’t even give Rachel a real reason for their breakup saying, “We’ll always be friends.” To which Santana replies, “Puke.” (Side-Note: Sheesh I love you Santana! I said, “Ugh barf,” at the exact same moment. Kindred spirits.)
Santana then offers to cheer Rachel up by playing an innocent little prank on Kurt, but when the two girls go in to put his hand in a pot of warm water, they see his secret. Kurt reluctantly introduces the girls to Bruce and makes it clear that they cannot borrow him. So instead, Kurt presents the ladies with their very own boyfriend arms — well, actually, Santana’s is wearing nightgown and has one breast so she gets a girlfriend arm. (Side-Note: How thoughtful! And I’m just saying, but I’ve seen Brittany wearing a flannel shirt once or twice before that looks exactly like that!)
However, Rachel is not too pleased with her gift. “I’m not lonely, okay?" she says. "I don’t need anything to cuddle with. Just because Brody moved out doesn’t mean that we’re not getting back together." (Side-Note: Oh sweet sweet Rachel if only you knew the truth. Oh wait, Santana’s about to tell you. Yay!) Santana can’t take it anymore saying, “I was wrong about Brody being a drug dealer... I was just wrong about what he was selling. Your boyfriend wasn’t a cater-waiter, he was a giggalo. Like Magic Mike — with happy endings for money.”
Rachel looks like she’s about to pass out and looks to Kurt for conformation. It only takes one solemn glance from her best friend for Rachel to realize that the whole thing is true, and she storms off to her bedroom. (Side-Note: I wonder if Cassie knew that Brody was a prostitute. Did she pay him that night? Did that spark his sex-for-money extra curricular activity? And where the hell is Cassie?! We also weren’t even given a proper goodbye with SJP at Vogue either. Rude.)
The next day at NYADA we see Rachel approach Brody, and the two are about to hold hands when she slips him a little cash. Body looks confused and asks what the money is for. Rachel smiles saying, “I was hoping I could have dinner with you tonight. I’m sorry, is it not enough? I didn’t know what the going rate was these days for male hookers.” (Side-Note: OMG yes!! This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for! Watching Rachel unleash inner snark is like watching a unicorn frolic with a couple fairies — it’s beautiful and rare as hell, but when it does happen it’s like you don’t ever want the moment to end.)
Brody tells Rachel not to judge him, and that not everyone has “doting daddies” to pay for their college. (Side-Note: How dare you make her feel bad for having two hard-working parents who love her and want her to succeed! Once again, you don’t have to be a professional whore to pay for college. Go. To. Abercrombie.)
Brody clearly thinks that Rachel has been talking to Finn. “Who do you think did this to my face?" he says. "Your ex-fiance! He jumped out of a bathroom and went all Frankenstein on me.” (Side-Note: Um no little Brody, you’re wrong. Finn was only going to punch you once, but then you went ballistic and threw a lamp at his back. Do I really need to explain that lamps are for light, not for throwing? P.S. you totally deserved it.)
Rachel looks shocked, realizing that Finn flew all the way to New York and she knew nothing about it. Brody apologies for lying to her, but he tells Rachel that he’s always been honest about his feelings for her. Rachel admits, “You’re right — I haven’t been completely honest with you. I think that there was a part of me that was using this partly to make Finn jealous, and the other part to just fill my own personal heartache.” (Side-Note: And with that one line Finchel fans get to happily dance around, because Rachel admitted that she never fully had true feelings for Brody. Her fuel for being with him was out of the desire to make Finn jealous and to cure her aching Finn-loving heart. Ahem… Squee!) Rachel and Brody then break into a duet of “Creep” and darkness creeps across the screen, signaling the end of Brochel.
NEXT: Even More Lima Secrets and The Episode’s Best Moments!
Even More Secrets: Tina walks up to the McKinley Spice Girls looking like she’s just seen a ghost and says that she just overheard something horrific. The next thing we know, Marley is practically running down the hall. She yells “Hey!” in a surprisingly manly voice when she sees Jake. “Tell me it’s not true,” she demands. “Tell me you’re not planning to sing a Chris Brown song?!” (Side-Note: Woah there little one. This is coming form a girl who truly despises Chris Brown, but I think you need to tone down the dramatics just a bit, mmkay? You can still get your point across if you tell him calmly; you don’t need to full-on scream at him from across the hallway.)
All of the glee club girls corner Jake in the choir room and list all of the terrible things that Chris Brown has done — and goodness gracious there are a lot! Jake counters their arguments, saying he knows that the singer is a complete douchebag, but he still enjoys listening to some of his songs. “All I’m saying is we should be able to separate the art from the artist.” The girls storm out of the room and Marley gives Jake a look like, “If you ever want to possibly sleep with me in the future, you’d better change your song choice.”
After the Spice Glees have their time to shine, Jake announces that he is not singing a Chris Brown song... but he is going to be singing a different Brown song. The music starts ,and Jake's super-sweet dance moves take over as he belts out Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative.” (Side-Note: I could watch Jake’s super sweet dance moves all damn day. I’m really hoping to see a routine with he and Mike Chang in the near future, so fingers crossed!)
Over in the hallway, Tina is embracing one of her favorite guilty pleasures as Vicky the robot girl from the ‘80s cult show Small Wonder. (Side-Note: Okay, even I don’t fully get that reference, so how are all you lovely glee-bees supposed to know what the heck Tina is doing? I’m with Kitty, this is strange.) Jake comes over to the girls and apologizes, saying that that he didn’t realize that Bobby Brown allegedly got Whitney Houston hooked on crack. He and Marley are once again peachy keen, and they celebrate the end of their fight with a sweet yet passionate kiss.
In the library, Sam encourages Blaine to reveal even more secrets to the Glee club. So in just a matter of minutes, in a dimly lit auditorium we see a solemn-looking former warbler sitting at the piano. Blaine begins playing and it only takes 1.5 seconds for me to realize something magical is going on: They’re letting Darren Criss sing live! (Side-Note: I know that Blaine is not a universally loved character, but goodness gracious you have to admit that Darren is a fantastic singer! There are very few people on that show besides Lea, Chris and possibly Naya who could beautifully carry a scene without pre-recording the song. Bravo handsome!)
Blaine sings a simple yet powerful rendition of Phil Collins’ “Take a Look at Me Now,” and it’s clear to everyone that he’s dedicating this song to Sam. Tina — clearly still pissed that Blaine couldn’t switch sides for her — calls him out in front of everyone requesting to know who the song was about. (Side-Note: I absolutely love the fact that Kitty hit Tina and told her to “Shut it.” I was thinking the exact same thing. Protective and sweet Kitty is definitely my favorite side to this fierce cheerio.) Blaine quickly scrambles for an answer saying. “It was about Kurt obviously, the breakup is still a fresh wound.” Lies.
The Final Five: Back in the auditorium, Sam finds Blaine and says to his friend what we’ve all known for weeks now: “Dude it’s okay I get it, your guilty pleasure is me. I’ve known all year, and frankly, I’m an attractive guy. If you are into dudes and you weren’t into me then I’d probably be pretty offended.” (Side-Note: Aww that was sweet! But I’m totally over these unnecessary crushes now.) Sam tells Blaine that nothing is going to change and they are still going to be McKinley High’s two best bros, and they hug it out.
Over in the NYC loft, Kurt and Santana are enjoying a Facts of Life marathon. Rachel enters the room and announces that even though she and Brody are going to remain professional at school they are officially… wait for it… over! Rachel then takes a moment to thank Santana for trying to make her realize the truth, saying that she’ll never doubt her psychic Mexican third eye ever again. Rachel also adds, “I appreciate you getting Finn to come and defend my honor.” (Side-Note: See! Even Rachel thinks what Finn did was romantic!)
The music starts in New York, and the sounds of ABBA’s “Mamma Mia” fills the loft. Over in Lima, the glee club emerge on stage in some of the craziest, most amazing costumes we’ve ever seen. (Side-Note: First of all, why is this song a guilty pleasure? I openly LOVE it! Also, the fact that Brittany is wearing a cape is perfect. All is right in the world now that she has unleashed our magical blonde secret — and bonus Points for the hula-hoops.) The song ends far too quickly, and we bid adieu to our gleeks for the next three weeks.
Most Heartwarming Moment: Rachel thanking Santana for being a great friend and inviting her to live in the loft permanently. Oh, and Fondue For Two!
Most Heartbreaking Moment: Hearing Kitty say that Lord Tubbington only has three weeks to live, and realizing that I won’t be able to come up with creative yet vicious ways to make fun of Brody
Quotables:
“Hunger is a big problem in this country, although so is obesity which is confusing.” — Blaine
“We both know that blondes have magical powers like doing the splits and turning Swedish.” — Brittany
“Hey, just curious, are you going to go over to his house, straddle him while he’s passed out, and rub some ointment on his chest?” — Sam
“Lord Tubbington’s guilty pleasure is scientology.” — Brittany
“Nothing’s scarier than a girl with a penis.” — Kitty
“One, Rachel’s beautiful. Two, you’re a bitch. And three, those are my beauty products.” — Kurt
What did you think of “Guilty Pleasures”? How are you feeling knowing that Brody and Rachel are officially over? Does anyone actually miss having the adults around? Sing me your thoughts in the comments below!
Follow Leanne on Twitter @LeanneAguilera
[Photo Credit: FOX]
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Everything is different, yet nothing's changed: the Season 4 premiere of Justified was a wacky, wild ride — albeit one that set the stage for a really intriguing season, with Raylan barely holding on as a f***ed up, brokenhearted mess, and Boyd gleefully managing the Harlan criminal enterprise with the love of his life by his side. Even though these two characters make magic when they're on screen together, Tuesday's episode (and, from what we hear, the next few) found both men on two equally engaging (and equally batshit) separate journeys. One involved braces, breasts, and a secret bag from the '80s, the other a "snake church" run by Timmy from Jurassic Park. Basically, if last night can be used as an indicator, Season 4 is going to be really, really fun, and a departure from last year's darker fare.
Let's start with Raylan, whose wild ride began with good intentions: He received a late night call from one of the many hotties he's spent the night with, only this one wasn't a booty call — the woman was a bounty hunter, who would pay up if Raylan could deliver an escaped parolee convicted of double homicide. Easy enough, and Raylan needed the money for his unborn baby with she-who-will-not-be-named (okay, Winona). He caught the chatty criminal before I had time to grab my popcorn from the microwave, delivering one of many memorable lines from last evening after the man continually excused his actions (They were heroin dealers! They totally deserved to get murdered!). "You run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole. You run into assholes all day, you're the asshole."
Truer words, Raylan. (Also, pot-kettle?) But the unlikely duo was about to encounter two criminal (and one well-meaning) assholes — Raylan received another late-night call as he attempted to drive his bounty over the state line, this time from comedian Patton Oswalt, known here as Constable Bob Sweeney. Sweeney, an old high school classmate, had been watching over Arlo's house while the old man rotted in prison, and a couple of kids had broken in and stolen some copper (more on them later). Raylan locked his bounty in his trunk and went over to investigate, and while poor Bob — who never amounted to anything after high school — prattled endlessly about long-forgotten high school victories, Raylan found what the kids were really looking for: a bag containing the 1979 driver's license of one Waldo Truth. (Aside: This is probably where I should mention that the episode began with a flashback to the early '80s, where a man fell from the sky with a bunch of bricks of what looked like cocaine. End of flashback.)
Raylan took the bag, not thinking much of it, and went over to the hardware store to buy some copper. There he ran into the female half of the teen duo from Arlo's house, who promptly enticed him with a literal and metaphoric screw (while wearing braces) and flashed her ample chest. But Raylan's an ass-man, and not a statutory rapist, so he politely declined her generous request...
... Which ended up to be a poorly-planned ruse. While she flashed her goodies, her boyfriend ran off with Raylan's car — which, if you remember, carried an escaped parolee in the truck. Bob told Raylan that most of the stolen cars in town end up immediately crushed in a junkyard for $500, so they hightailed it over to Criminal N' Sons Shady Illegal Activities Junkyard to retrieve it, and him. The man had already been freed by the wonder twins, who were holding him in the shed at gunpoint. This all led to a classic Justified-ian sequence where Raylan had several guns pointed at him, but somehow got out of it based on a stroke of luck — or, this time, a stroke of Bob. Bob stabbed the teen girl — who was being held by the parolee — in the foot, giving him time to regain control and announce to the duo that he knew they wanted the bag, not the copper or the car. Phew. Got that? This marked the end of Raylan's first adventure with Constable Bob, but he's a great comedic foil for Raylan who has been a total laconic downer his entire life, so I'm very excited to see more of him and his adorable man-crush on Raylan. See you on Twitter, Patton.
Of course, this wasn't the end of "The Tale of the Mysterious Bag" for Raylan — not by a long shot. He finally went over to see his filicide-enthusiast father in prison, who swore on his dead wife's life that he knew nothing of the bag. This would have been the end of it, until he said "Put that bag back in the wall and forget about it." Raylan hadn't said the bag was in the wall, so, sorry dead wife. It will probably be awhile before we find out the importance of Waldo Truth's old driver's license, but apparently it's worth approximately the cost of a man's life — a fellow inmate had the unfortunate luck of overhearing Arlo and Raylan's conversation, and when he approached the old goon later that night, he was rewarded with a stab to the jugular. Believe it or not, this was actually the second murder of the night.
Which brings us to Boyd, arguably the most fantastic person on television right now besides Daryl Dixon. Boyd was using his patented, twisted manner of speech to interrogate a former Oxy dealer (late on his payment) who had recently been saved by one "Last Chance Holiness Church." Boyd, wonderfully, used Biblical verse to justify (hey!) selling pills, comparing them to modern-day wine (albeit in pill form), which Jesus was totally a fan of. "I've got to be honest now, Boyd," the frightened man said. "A lot of the time the way you say things, I can't make hide nor hair." Ha! But that's what makes him beautiful, girl. Also, this line totally came full circle at the end of the episode when Boyd's lack of verbal clarity led to the same man being shot in the face. But more on that later.
In a sequence that fit in wonderfully with the whimsical, comedic tone of the episode, Ellen May (the hooker Ava punched) returned — stupid as ever, snorting a white substance with a john. This john handed her a fake million or billion or trillion dollar bill advertising the very same Last Chance Holiness Church, which they used, hilarrrriously, as their snorting vessel. Of course the show needed a way to bring the strung out Ellen May to the church, so she had a little mishap — the john made her close her eyes, and when he came back into the room for some sexy times, he was dressed AS A GIANT BEAR. You guys, he was a furry. I only found out what this was very recently, and it is endlessly frightening. Ellen May thought so too, so she shot at him several times — not enough to kill him, but enough to scare her into sobriety re: the Church.
So for Boyd and Ava — who are adorably running a large portion of Harlan's criminal enterprise with the whoring and the Oxy — the Church was already becoming a problem. Enter Boyd's mysterious, definite no-goodnik war buddy, Colt (Ron Eldard!), who had been recently discharged due to bad behavior (shooting his comrade in the arm). Boyd offered his old pal a job, effective immediately — then went over to take care of the Oxy payment once and for all: by putting dynamite between the former dealer's legs. He revealed the location of the money he owed, leading to the aforementioned verbal misunderstanding: "Take care of him," Boyd said to Colt. Boyd meant "tie him loose," but Colt took it as "shoot him in the head!" Hey, we all make mistakes. "Well, I guess I have to be more careful with my words," Boyd crooned. The night ended with a peek at the Timmy-led Church (with Ellen May in attendance), which consisted of people holding up snakes on folding chairs in a tent in the woods. This, apparently, is how you get sober in Harlan. All in all, it was a wonderful return for a show that got a little too dark last season, introducing a gaggle of new characters and plot lines that are sure to bring new life to the already vivid series. Your thoughts, pray tell? Follow Shaunna on Twitter @HWShaunna [PHOTO CREDIT: Prashant Gupta/FX] MORE: Raylan Returns: What to Know Before 'Justified' Debuts, Guns Blazing 'Justified' Gets Season 4: More Timothy Olyphant Shooting Junkies 'Cougar Town' Season Premiere React: Same Old 'Cougar Town', Now with Sex Jokes!
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Year's end is close upon us and the Hollywood.com staff is finally ready to weigh in on the best of the best of big screen. We sat through movie after movie, January through December, to give you a definitive list of 2012's stand out films. Who made the cut? Read on for our writers' picks for the best movies of the year:
The Best
21 Jump Street (Picked By Kate Ward)
The reboot of the 1980s series starring Johnny Depp had everything going against it: It was released during the industry's March dead zone, which also happened to coincide with disinterested audiences' increasing desire to give all Hollywood reboots the boot. But 21 Jump Street jumped past all these hurdles, becoming not only one of Hollywood's few entertaining reboots, but one that showcased the surprising comedic talents of 2012's A-list breakout Channing Tatum. And in a year full of blockbuster tentpoles (The Hunger Games, Breaking Dawn — Part 2, and The Dark Knight Rises) and Oscar bait (Argo, Les Misérables, and Django Unchained), how could you not lend some support to 2012's true underdog?
Amour (Picked By Matt Patches)
In the last 20 years, Michael Haneke has explored every facet of human evil, no act of violence or shame too perverse for his cinematic journeys. Amour is new territory for the auteur, certainly his sweetest film to date, yet continuing his trend of forcing us to confront our deepest fears as emotional beings. With two powerful performances by French actors Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant, Haneke's film follows an elderly couple who grapple with staying sane in the final moments of their lives. Anne (Riva) is bed-stricken and barely aware of her surroundings. Georges (Trintignant) dedicates his every minute to taking care of her. The audiences watches, inspired, shocked, and warmed by the simple, raw drama of it all.
Anna Karenina (Picked By Abbey Stone)
Jon Wright's luscious, highly stylized adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's classic story of love and despair divided critics, but I was captivated by it. A departure from Wright's sweeping retellings of such literary masterpieces as Pride and Prejudice and Atonement, Anna Karenina is claustrophobic, physically and figuratively. By trapping his characters in the ever-moving sets of an imperial theater (used to its best advantage in a heart-stopping horse race scene), Wright illustrates the rigid, suffocating bounds of Russian society life. Tom Stoppard's screenplay, meanwhile, takes Tolstoy's tome and strips it down to simple language that conveys the most elemental of human desires. The gorgeous costumes, actors, and landscape (a literal breath of fresh air when you venture outside the stifling theater) all compliment one another to create the film's mesmerizing dreamscape.
Argo (Picked By Kelsea Stahler)
It may be a mind-bending thought to suppose that a Ben Affleck film may be in the running for an Oscar, but Argo is unavoidable in the conversation about who’ll take the awards stage in February of next year. But the reason it stands out as a favorite in 2012 isn’t owed to any fancy behind-the-scenes footwork. This film hearkens back to an older time in both setting and style; it’s got a few frill and all the suspense and soul audiences require of a great movie. Heck, it’s even got a few moments of tense humor, which is practically requisite of a film that involves the production of a fake Star Wars rip-off as a resolution to a harrowing hostage situation. Argo is by no means the most perfectly-crafted film of 2012, but it rises to the top tier as one of the more solidly enjoyable and diverting films of the year. And since it’s based on a true story, you might even learn a thing or two.
The Avengers (Picked By Sydney Bucksbaum)
The Avengers rounded up all the Marvel movie superheroes in what could have been a film reminiscent of Michael Bay: gratuitous action and destruction of major cities, with little to no plot. Thankfully, with Joss Whedon at the helm, we were gifted with a snarky, funny, cinematically stunning, emotionally deep look at what motivates the men and woman behind the masks. Plus, watching the Hulk throw Loki around like a wet towel was insanely gratifying. This movie got us extremely excited for the next phase of the Marvel superhero movies, beginning with Iron Man 3, which will commence immediately after the events of The Avengers. We’ll finally get a chance to see what happens after all the death and destruction of superhero fights.
Beasts of the Southern Wild (Picked By Aly Semigran)
Benh Zeitlin's stunning debut about a brave, fierce little girl named Hushpuppy (miniature force of nature Quvenzhané Wallis) living in a post-storm bayou with her detiriorating, alcoholic father Wink (fellow impressive newcomer Dwight Henry) is an exhilarating, overwhelming experience. (To call it a tearjerker might imply you've had any tears left afterwards.) While the film may, in part, be about the awesome power of nature, it's really about love and the incredibly strength we can find in ourselves in the most challenging situations. In addition to the brilliant performances and masterful direction, Beasts also had the best musical score of any film this year.
Cabin in the Woods (Picked By Shaunna Murphy)
After an eons-long release delay, Cabin in the Woods finally made its way to theaters this spring — and for this, I thank the vicious, vengeful Gods. I would gladly sacrifice a gaggle of idiots for this perfect blend of (dare I say it?) meta, self-aware horror-comedy. The dialogue and wink-wink horror tropes were endlessly entertaining, while still being pretty scary — and not just while you're stoned, though Fran Kranz' Marty makes a pretty good case for legalization. Also, it's Bradley Whitford's best work in years. Also also, Richard Jenkins.
Cloud Atlas (Picked By Matt Patches)
Cloud Atlas was an ambitious movie the directors of The Matrix spent years trying to convince investors could work, but the result was worth the wait. A sprawling, interconnected story chronicling life's biggest challenges and the human spirit that overcomes them, Cloud Atlas is a big screen experiment that makes full use of its canvas. Spanning the 19th Century to the post-apocalyptic future, the Wachowskis, working with co-director Tom Tykwer, used special effects and A-List actors to tackle grand themes with a three-hour movie that stands as one of 2012's only true epics.
The Comedy (Picked By Matt Patches)
Tim Heidecker has made a career out of pushing the boundaries of "acceptable" comedy, but little did we realize he was only scratching the surface of the artform's subversive nature. In The Comedy, the actor loses himself in Swanson, a terrorist of the deadpan variety. Heidecker takes privileged young people to task in a tour-de-force performance that's hilarious, terrifying, and completely mesmerizing. Director Rick Alverson strips down the New York City landscape to its ugliest, laying on a rumbling soundscape to ensure our descent into Hell isn't too comfortable. The Comedy isn't easy to swallow, but for anyone looking for a challenge, it's a satisfying meal.
The Deep Blue Sea (Picked By Christian Blauvelt)
A tear-stained reverie of faded love and heartbreak, director Terence Davies’ first narrative film since 2000’s equally devastating The House of Mirth is the year’s most thoughtful, introspective character study. Rachel Weisz, in a career-best performance, plays a woman in 1950s London caught between her uncontrollable, adulterous passion for a former RAF pilot (Tom Hiddleston) and her awareness that he’s a total cad, unworthy of her (or any woman’s) love. So she thinks that suicide is the only way to reconcile head and heart. Set during the course of one day—the day on which Weisz’ character has decided to end her life—Davies’ delicate camera expands the parameters of the Terrence Rattigan play on which it’s based through a mosaic of flashbacks that chart the progression of her affair, including the most haunting depiction of The Blitz you’ll ever see.
The Hunger Games (Picked By Leanne Aguilera)
"May the odds be ever in your favor.” This past March, audiences were led through a whirlwind of raw emotions and heart-pounding adventures as 24 tributes schemed, fought, and killed in the brutal quest to be the winner of the 74th Annual Hunger Games. The first installment of Suzanne Collins' best-selling trilogy The Hunger Games was triumphantly transferred to the big screen, overall becoming the highest grossing female-led action film of all time. And for many book fans, hearing Jennifer Lawrence desperately call out, “I volunteer as tribute!” brought chills of excitement and satisfaction to know that they have cast the perfect Katniss Everdeen to eventually rise up against the Capitol as the Mockingjay that we all know, fear and love."
Lincoln (Picked By Kelsea Stahler)
This historical drama couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time. Just as our country teeters on a precipice, demanding compromise and change, Lincoln sweeps into to tell the story of one of the nation’s most honorable politicians as he affected one of those most important and necessary changes in our history through less-than honorable means. Daniel Day-Lewis is could not be more perfect to capture the intimate portrait of the 16th American president, a man many of us presume to know from school-day history lessons. The film glosses over a few historical points of Lincoln’s move to pass the 13th Amendment before the end of the Civil War, eschewing them for the more dramatic moments, but in a landscape of Captain Americas and Iron Men, it’s a comfort to enjoy a film about an American hero whose strength was of conviction instead of brawn.
Magic Mike (Picked By Aly Semigran)
Don't call it the Channing Tatum stripper movie. Steven Soderbergh's sleek, smart, and — yes, sexy — slice of Americana is so much more than that. Part buddy comedy, part cautionary drama, the well-written and well-acted (Channing, who knew?) Magic Mike was a genuine risk taker that paid off big as the thinking woman's fantasy antidote to Fifty Shades of Grey. Plus, Matthew McConaughey's supporting turn as an sociopathic strip club owner is worth losing your shirt over.
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (Picked By Lindsey DiMatinna)
This movie was so much fun. I love all the crazy plot lines, especially watching Alex fall in love. But, the circus performance at the end was totally brilliant, especially in 3D. The 3D effects made all the action in this movie come alive right in front of me and made me feel like I was a part of the cartoon story. Yes, I am still a kid at heart.
Moonrise Kingdom (Picked By Alicia Lutes)
It's almost too easy for people to find reasons to dislike or poo-poo the work of Wes Anderson. It's "too precious" or "too indie," detractors cry in a flurried, expected manner. But with his 2012 release, Moonrise Kingdom, we saw Anderson's deft hand take a well-guided stab at childhood, romance, and the heart one develops from living in those moments. It's whimsical in the way all childhood memories are, but grounded in a wonderful story outside of its beautiful scenery and charms. Richly-developed characters, a need to escape, and the raw emotion of living—this is what makes 'Moonrise Kingdom' a highlight of 2012. Performance highlights include Bill Murray (duh), Frances McDormand, Bruce Willis, and our young heroes Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward.
Oslo, August 31 (Picked By Christian Blauvelt)
Norwegian director Joachim Trier’s second film, ‘Oslo, August 31,’ lets the world unfold during the course of a single day through the eyes of a character contemplating suicide. In this case, it’s Anders (Anders Danielsen Lie), a 34-year-old guy with intellectual pretensions who’s let out of a drug-rehab clinic for one day to attend a job interview with a magazine. As the title suggests, the movie is also something of a city symphony for Norway’s capital, which Trier (yes, he’s distantly related to Lars) calls “the suburb of Europe.” ‘Oslo’ is purely a cerebral affair, with a character who rationalizes his irrational choices in a way that’s stunningly logical…and all the more unsettling for it.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Picked By Michael Arbeiter)
It’s no easy feat to turn a universally life-changing coming-of-age novel into an equally powerful feature film. Granted, it doesn’t hurt to have the novel’s author at the helm of the movie — such is the case The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which author Stephen Chbosky adapted from the very book that turned high school around for so many sad and lonely teenagers into a piece of cinema with just as dynamic an emotional force. The film’s starring players — a Logan Lerman stuck in his own head, an Emma Watson drenched in self-contempt, and (best of all) a hilarious and heartbreaking Ezra Miller as a young man charged with defending his sexual orientation against the world around him — breathe a life so vivid into Chbosky’s magical words, serving the story with just as much affect as the incarnates of yourself and your friends that you imagined to be fostering these roles upon first reading the book. From the softer, sweeter moments, to the dark and hard-to-watch turns, Perks is wholly real, reminding even those of us who read about and related to Charlie so many years ago just what it’s like to be him. And to feel, if only for a second, infinite.
Silver Linings Playbook (Picked By Anna Brand)
When you put Bradley Cooper in a movie without a strange baby and booze and smack a mental illness on him, doubts will soar. The same way Jennifer Lawrence without a bow and arrow undoubtedly creates skeptics. But leave it to these off-beat stars (with a 15-year age difference!) to bring seamless honesty and perfect chemistry. The blue collar setting – much like the director's The Fighter – is captured in such a relatable way it's almost desirable. Even though we get an ending as unrealistic as the time Matthew Mcconaughey chased down a taxi on a bridge and got to Kate Hudson just in time in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, it didn't take away from the thought-provoking story and spot-on acting. Not even a little bit. In fact, it was what we wanted all along.
Sleepwalk with Me (Picked By Michael Arbeiter)
Sleepwalk with Me is not at all just a celebration of standup comedian Mike Birbiglia, nor of standup comedy in general. It is a celebration of storytelling. Birbiglia channels his own ascension of the industry in this semi-fictional account of the comic’s early career, romantic relationships, and struggles with a chaotic sleep disorder. In the sentiment of the age-old “write what you know” adage, Birbiglia’s film expresses the philosophy that the greatest stories — be they funny or serious in nature — are those infused with the most honesty and intimacy. When Birbiglia’s author surrogate Matt Pandamiglia embraces his flaws and shortcomings, he learns just how much merit lies within the stories he has at his disposal. And beyond just influencing his career as a standup does this lesson influence his life — in the most laugh-out-loud and sincere fashion imaginable.
Zero Dark Thirty (Picked By Matt Patches)
Director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal continue to mine high drama from real life circumstances, following The Hurt Locker with a how-can-this-possibly-be-true true story behind the investigation that led to the assassination of Osama bin Laden. Like a modern All the President's Men, Zero Dark Thirty finds emotion in the facts, keeping us on the edge of our seats as Jessica Chastain's Maya loses herself (and her friends) to the hunt. We know how the story ends, but impressively, getting there never seems predictable.
The 5 Worst:
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (Picked By Aly Semigran)
No one was in on the joke here. Not the audiences who wisely skipped out on the adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith's comic novel of the same name and especially not filmmaker Timur Bekmamtebov, who played this dreck up as if it were a legitimate period piece without having his actors (including the talented, Benjamin Walker, who deserves better) so much as a wink or a nod to its overtly absurd premise. Joyless, poorly executed, and, considering it came out the same year as the masterful Lincoln, downright embarrassing.
Brave (Picked By Matt Patches)
Pixar's perfect streak took a major bump after Cars 2 and the hope was Brave, the animation studio's first fairy tale, could get them back on track. No dice. Princess Merida's tale had potential, but never ran with it, taking a hard left in the middle of Merida's cry for independence to explore a wacky tale of a Bear and her daughter. With a feeling of being slapped together, Brave missed the mark. Attribute it to high expectations — the film demands the scrutiny thanks to years of near-perfect work.
Chasing Mavericks (Picked By Brian Moylan)
A good movie should have sympathetic and interesting characters who follow a narrative arc. There should be development and consistency and rousing performances and new revelations about the human condition. In the absense of all of those there should at least be enough robots, lasers, superpowers, and aliens to keep you distracted for a couple of hours. Chasing Mavericks has none of those. Based on the true story of a young man whose neighbor teaches him to surf the biggest wave in California, this Gerard Butler vehicle lurches from scene to boring scene through some tired melodrama and stock sportsporational set pieces. Aside from some top-notch surfing footage this is a complete waste of time, even more so that there could be a revelatory story somewhere in there.
The Raven (Picked By Matt Patches)
With cinematography inspired by your local diner's split pea soup, writing at which airport mystery novelists would turn up their noses, and acting from the school of crazy Nic Cage, The Raven had all the pieces to be a so-bad-its-good cult classic. Instead, the Edgar Allen Poe serial killer flick is impenetrable dreck, the only reminder of the meandering film's stakes being John Cusack's hysterical (and overly repeated) scream of the name "EMILY!" every few minutes. Emily made a smart move — she disappeared from the movie.
The Master (Picked By Christian Blauvelt)
2012 had no greater “Emperor Has No Clothes” movie moment than The Master, a shallow, sodden character study about wayward sailor Freddie Quill (Joaquin Phoenix), a guy who likes to stand akimbo, jut out his jaw, and mumble unintelligibly (Phoenix’s sole acting choices) before and after falling under the thrall of an L. Ron Hubbard-style pseudo-philosopher (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s uncritical preoccupation with power, the select few who hold power, and everyone else who covets power, seems to have devolved into adolescent banality since his genuinely frightening depiction of Tom Cruise’s modern-day pied piper in Magnolia. Which is to say that it’s hard to imagine why any Scientologist, Cruise included, would be offended by anything in The Master. Anyone have some of Freddie Quill’s paint thinner so I can drown my sorrow about this mess of a film?
Or is it the best? (Picked By Matt Patches)
Anderson became the talk of the town in 2012 when he unveiled The Master's stunning 70mm photography, a picture quality so crisp and saturated that even if the film chased its narrative tail for two hours, the visuals would be enough of a pay off. Luckily, he had something incredible to capture in the wide-frame glory. Using religion as an entry point, The Master takes us as close to someone's internal monologue as an outsider can possibly get, with Phoenix and Hoffman's range of skills on full display as they unravel the imbecile Freddie and the seductive Lancaster Dodd. When clashed together, The Master becomes a tense match of wits. Who loses in the end is ambiguous, making the secrets of the human mind the heart of the film.
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Dry your eyes, pop culture fanatics, you made it through the 10 saddest moments in movies from the past year. Sadly, (and we really want to emphasize that) we're going to remind you of the 10 moments on television that made you totally lose it. On the bright side, at least you can cry over your favorite TV shows from the comfort of your own home! From shocking character deaths to heartbreaking discoveries, TV really turned up the waterworks quotient this year. But, don't be cry for too long. To spare you (and your non-waterproof mascara) we threw in a few happy tears moments, too. Brace yourselves, there are MAJOR SPOILERS and MAJOR SADNESS ahead in the top 10 tearjerker TV moments from 2012.
The Walking Dead:
We spent Season 2 being bored to tears by The Walking Dead, so imagine our surprise when we spent Season 3 crying actual tears. For Lori. Let that one sink it. We're still trying to do the same with Lori's (Sarah Wayne Callies) stunningly sad death, in which her own son Carl (Chandler Riggs) had to put her out of misery after a C-section.
Mad Men:
It became more and more apparent as Season 5 went on that things weren't going to end well for poor Lane Pryce (Jared Harris), but no one ever imagined it would be so damn depressing. After Don (Jon Hamm) found out about Lane's embezzlement scheme, he asked him to resign, but Lane left Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce in a much more harrowing fashion: he hung himself in his office. It's an image no Mad Men fan will ever be able to shake.
Parenthood:
NBC's underrated gem of a drama is always a reliable go-to show when you need a good cry. But this season, it's been a reliable go-to when you need a full-on ugly cry. When Kristina (a seriously Emmy-worthy Monica Potter) discovered she has breast cancer, she had to break the terrible news to her family, starting with her husband Adam (Peter Krause), who could tell with just one look that it was everything they hoped it wasn't. Still, even at her worst, Kristina has continually put the brave in Braverman this season.
Grey's Anatomy:
When Mark Sloane (Eric Dane) died on Grey's Anatomy, it was heartbreaking. He had just professed his love for Lexie (Chyler Leigh), only to watch her die. After she died, he clung to life long enough to make it back to Seattle Grace Mercy West to say goodbye to his daughter and all of his friends. Then, he joined his soul mate in death. — Sydney Bucksbaum
Glee:
Kurt (Chris Colfer) finally worked up the nerve to start forgiving Blaine (Darren Criss) for cheating on him. He called Blaine; you could see the relief in the latter's face when Kurt offered Blaine the chance for a mature conversation over Christmas break. And then, to cap it all off, they exchanged tearful "I love yous," proving there might still be hope left for these two soul mates. — Sydney Bucksbaum
The Vampire Diaries:
Alaric Saltzman (Matthew Davis) was forced to transition into a vampire-vampire-hunter, he made the choice to not complete the process so his friends would be safe, knowing he would die. He shared one last bottle of whiskey with his friend Damon, and passed peacefully... that is, until a possessed Bonnie (Kat Graham) swooped in at the last minute to complete the process for him. After he died permanently, he showed up as a ghost to say his final goodbye to Jeremy, telling him he has to be the man of the house. Alaric made one more surprise cameo at the beginning of this season, invisible to everyone including Damon (Ian Somerhalder). He sat next to Damon, listening to him rant about being left alone, and summed everything up in one simple sentence: "I miss you too, buddy." — Sydney Bucksbaum
Sons of Anarchy:
The death of Jax Teller’s best friend Opie (Ryan Hurst) was one of the most brutal, heartbreaking deaths in the series history, and probably TV history. Not only did Opie sacrifice himself for the club, submitting to a prison brawl orchestrated by the warden in which multiple inmates are allowed to beat him to death, but we saw every second of it. Left to defend himself with only a lead pipe, Opie is quickly brought to his knees, killed by the final screen-center blow to the back of the head while Jax watches from the next room. No amount of tears could wash that image from an SoA fan’s mind. — Kelsea Stahler
Community:
The legendary (and long awaited) “Virtual Systems Analysis” episode of Community sent viewers full-force into the brain of Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi), which is at once hilarious, horrifying, and heartbreaking. When the conclusion of the episode landed Abed into a manifestation of his biggest fears — recalling memories of his time being ostracized, bullied, and shoved into lockers during his middle school days — the oft masked inner pain of the character was revealed vividly. Abed’s psychological journey reminded us that no matter how old we grow or how far we go, the children within us — and all the sadness we earned in childhood — will follow us diligently throughout, just aching to take over whenever something frightening or hurtful happens.” — Michael Arbeiter
Louie:
The stellar Season 3 of Louie could make us laugh until we cried (i.e. the doll scene in the finale), but sometimes the groundbreaking show just plain broke our hearts. When Louie (Louis C.K.) went on his date with Liz/Tape Recorder (the brilliant Parker Posey) in "Daddy's Girlfriend, Pt. 2", it became apparent she is someone who is suffering. When they finally make it to the roof, she tells a worried Louie "The only way I'd fall is if I jumped. That's why you're afraid to come over here. Because a part of you wants to jump, because it'd be so easy. But I don't want to jump. I'd never do that. I'm having too good of a time." But its obvious, from the sadness and desperation in her eyes, she's thought about it. She's always thinking about it. The scene is even sadder when you know what eventually happens to her character at the end of the season.
Parks and Recreation:
See! Like we promised, it's not all super sad stuff. Who didn't cry the happiest of happy tears when Sexy Elf King Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) proposed to the world's greatest human ever Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler)? She didn't want to forget a single moment of the romantic surprise, and neither did we.
[Photo credits: AMC (2), NBC, ABC, Fox, The CW, FX, NBC, FX, NBC]
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It should be easy to write off Boy Meets World as a blip on the lengthy timeline of family-friendly sitcoms. The show opted for simplicity over a high concept hook: at the center was the "Boy," Cory Matthews, a regular kid who navigated the ups and downs of life along with his mom, dad, older brother Eric, younger sister Morgan, his best friend Shawn, romantic interest Topanga, and wise sage of a teacher Mr. Feeny. As a well-intentioned, by-the-books comedy, the conclusion of Boy Meets World should have spelled the end of the series in viewers' TV Guides and minds.
But Boy never disappeared. After a seven-season run and 158 episodes, the series — which aired its finale on ABC in 2000 — continues to remain popular. The sitcom thrives on DVD and ABC Family reruns, and has been reinterpreted by passionate fans thanks to the Internet's thriving GIF culture.
How did Boy Meets World's legacy survive? By seizing an endless number of opportunities in the sitcom formula.
One episode in particular encapsulates everything the show continually got right, a half hour experiment that was as risky as the show was heartfelt: "And Then There Was Shawn," the series' horror episode, which was routinely revived during the Halloween season (the episode, strangely enough, originally aired during sweeps on Feb. 27, 1998). The Season 5 episode was a teen slasher parody that still, in true Boy spirit, led to an important life lesson for Shawn and helped an audience come to terms with Cory and Topanga's breakup. To do so, it brought together the entire cast for a "whodunnit?" mystery through the high school that strayed from Boy's traditional format — not only was it extremely graphic for its young viewers, but multiple characters met their maker throughout the half-hour. Despite the episode being as bizarre as it was bloody, "And Then There Was Shawn" became instantly memorable for not only the TGIF set who reference it annually on Twitter, but for Boy's cast and crew as well.
So, in the spirit of the Halloween season, Hollywood.com assembled the cast and crew of Boy Meets World to discuss how "And Then There Was Shawn" organically came to fruition, an evolutionary process that started at the very beginning of the show's creation:
Michael Jacobs, creator of Boy Meets World: I was just wrapping up Dinosaurs ... I went to the president of Disney television and said, "In all of these shows that are being done — Family Ties, Growing Pains — you have your Michael J. Fox, your Kirk Cameron. Big brothers. But what about the kids in the middle? The younger kids? They have lives." We started looking at it, and I got more and more jazzed by the betrayal that happens when the older brother, who has slept in your room as long as you can remember, decides you're not the one he's going to take to the ballgame. He's going to take his girlfriend. The first date episode, eternal in situation comedy, as told by the point of view from the younger brother, is a whole different television show. So I thought, what if there's a kid who was an everyman who loses his touchstone, his older brother, and he's lost and confused in the world?
Jeff McCracken, Boy Meets World producer and director of "And Then There Was Shawn": Michael loves to write kids. That's his forte. He's tried to write adults… whatever [laughs], I'm not going to denigrate Michael. He writes kids really well.
Jacobs: He said, "I noticed that you like writing for kids." "I do like writing for kids." "Why do you like writing for kids?" And I said, "I like writing for kids because I'm going to have some and they won't listen to me, but they'll watch my television shows and my characters and they won't know [they've] been listening to me." And that's what happened. I have four kids and I noticed the lessons I taught them have lasted their lives, but they didn't get them from me. They got them from Cory Matthews.
McCracken: [Michael] had done My Two Dads with Greg Evigan, Paul Reiser, and Staci Keanan ... He tells the same story again and again really well. He's very good at tapping into the consciousness of the day.
Jacobs: All I wanted to ever do was write a show that never spoke down to kids, because I thought that was primarily what was happening in the world of teenage television. Let's speak up to them. They understand far more. When you look at what they're looking at, they're not tracking their generation. They're tracking the next generation.
Rider Strong, "Shawn Hunter": Michael was both the heart and brains of the show. Every week, sitcoms have two "run-throughs," where the cast performs the show for the writers, producers, and network executives. Afterwards, the Executive Producer will give notes to the actors. On most shows, that means five to 10 minutes of notes. Michael rarely did less than an hour. Sometimes over two.
Ben Savage, "Cory Matthews": Other people would be "la dee da" [when approaching shows]. I've worked on other sitcoms — and I'm not saying other shows don't try as hard — but with Boy Meets World everyone was so passionate about every aspect of the show. It stood alone.
Jacobs: Bill Daniels [Cory's teacher Mr. Feeny], who I gave very few notes to (nor did I have to), would sit through all of the note sessions. He wanted to be part of what was happening with the kids. In the beginning, he pulled me in — this is year one ... during the very youth-oriented plot lines — and Bill called me to the set once, and I was sitting in my chair and he said to me, "Michael, how long exactly am I going to have to sit by this little fence [Feeny's stomping ground outside the Matthews' home]?" I said, "Seven years, Bill." And he said, "No!"
Strong: He'd go page by page through the script, discussing character, theme, you name it. And he would reference everything from specific episodes of Taxi to Noël Coward plays. And he would quote them verbatim. I not only learned about acting, but storytelling in general. I don't think I would be the actor, writer, or director I am without those note sessions.
Over the course of Boy Meets World's first five seasons, Jacobs and McCracken wrapped their work on Jim Henson's Dinosaurs, earned a Best Picture Oscar nomination for producing Robert Redford's Quiz Show, and continued to develop new projects. But multitasking never took a toll on the show, with the cast and writers' interest in Boy continuing as strong as ever.
Strong: It's hard to remember all the seasons distinctly, but I think Season 5 was probably one of the most fun. Michael Jacobs had spent three years sort of coming and going with the show — he had been trying to develop other pilots that had all failed. But Season 5 he came back strong and I remember feeling like the show hit a new groove.
Jacobs: I had three [shows] on the air. I was trying to nurture other shows while keeping very sharp tabs — reading all the scripts, going to all the tapings — on Boy. The other shows ran or didn't run, and I was able to come back to it.
McCracken: Michael asked me to direct the third season, which led to the fourth, fifth — I started directing all the seasons.
Strong: That year, in real life, I started going to college — the producers of Boy were giving me my mornings to attend classes, and I was splitting my nights between a dorm room the school required me to have, and this huge loft I found in downtown LA. So during that season, I was entering adult life and figuring out how to navigate school, work, different sets of friends... girls.
Savage: We were growing up on the show. I was applying to college, doing plays. Moving on. There was a lot going on. But in terms of my commitment to the show, my expectations to Michael — that didn't change.
Danielle Fishel, "Topanga": We were all juniors/seniors in high school and had a lot of other things on our plates. The show was usually pretty good at evolving and some of my favorite moments were when the show broke the fourth wall.
Will Friedle, "Eric": When the show started, we were very young and still trying to find our characters… By Season 5 we were much more comfortable, which made the entire flow of the show more natural.
Savage: In a way, we had taken such ownership of our characters, we were so protective of them, that it didn't matter, really. We were going to make sure the integrity of the character held up.
Matthew Lawrence, "Jack": I think coming into Season 5, they wanted to add more to the show. They wanted another guy to bounce off Will. And to have a B story line. You had Rider and Ben, and then they had me to pair up with Will. A little fresh blood into a situation that was already really good. I was very happy to [be that].
Jacobs: Nowhere in Season 5 or Season 6 or Season 7 did we ever think, "We've already run the gamut on possible storylines for where the show could go." The audience, at least in my experience, was so appreciative of it.
Strong: Artistically, of course, I wished I was on a more interesting, cutting-edge show or doing movies that suited my own tastes more — things like the Richard Linklater or Tarantino films of the time that I loved. But personally, our set was a haven: an incredibly tight-knit group of supportive, talented people. And so when I think about it now, a lot of the reason I was able to handle my first steps into the big bad world was precisely because I had this secure environment that I clocked into everyday.
Running with the idea that, in Season 5 , the Boy Meets Worldaudience understood the format, understood the characters, and understood the rules of the show, Jacobs and his team of writers had the freedom to play. And play they did, lifting the basis for ""And Then There Was Shawn"" from R-rated horror movies like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Jeff Menell, writer of ""And Then There Was Shawn"": I was a film reviewer for The Hollywood Reporter. Their New York film reviewer. So [before Boy], I was doing freelance writing, kind of enjoying my life.
McCracken: Jeff is a great film buff. He's a walking library.
Menell: It was around the time of the Scream movie. That was the impetus of it. I'm the big film guy of the staff. I love movies. I saw Scream. Was very scared. And the idea came from wanting to do a Halloween show.
Strong: It was a release valve. With the dream structure, our writers were able to get away with murder. Literally.
McCracken: Once you've established the communication with your audience, the audience is willing to go a lot more easily. If we had tried it the first season, they would have gone, ""What the hell is this?"" They wouldn't known what we were doing.
Menell: The way the [writers'] room worked, ideas are fished out all the time. It's not necessarily your idea. You get assigned scripts. I did campaign to get this one because I just love movies so much. I knew I could write this one. Of all the scripts I wrote, this was certainly the fastest and the easiest and the most fun, just because of the nature of the show.
Jacobs: It was important to me that we would be proud of as many episodes during the year as we could. I would tell the staff, ""In a 22- or 24-episode season, it is inevitable that you're going to do a dozen really good episodes, eight good episodes, and four barking dogs. In those barking dogs, it is easy for us to stay up one night and put in some iconic moment or some B-story that will propel the audience to next week. It helped us serialize Boy.
Menell: Every script on Boy Meets World was a group effort. You write a script, it gets tabled by the room. But of all my scripts, this one was changed the least.
McCracken: I've seen scripts that have come in and were totally rewritten from page one. Jeff Menell… it was shootable from the first draft he wrote. It would have been absolutely perfect. All we did was add a few little things. Amped up the humor.
Jacobs: ""And Then There Was Shawn"" was right out of Menell. We knew it was going to be an incredible episode — and a lot of fun. What happens is, it invigorates the staff. We know we're having so much fun that the best of what the staff can offer [goes] into it because we know it's going to be an incredible week.
Strong: I actually thought, ""Well, this will be fun for us, but our audience might hate it.""
Fishel: It was exciting on the page. I also loved the fact that we were going to be allowed to break character a little bit and be a little goofy. Topanga was always so rational, so breaking that up a bit was fun.
Strong: We were a primetime show. But as far as the adult world was concerned, our show didn't even exist. Boy Meets World was hovering in this strange middle ground: We weren't as popular as other family shows like Full House or Sabrina, but we also weren't a crappy Saturday morning show like Saved by the Bell. And so when we stepped out of the box with an episode like this, it kind of felt like we were in our own little corner of the playground, and no one was paying attention. Which means, in a way, we were thumbing our nose at expanding our audience — and by definition, building a cult following.
The positive reactions to "And Then There Was Shawn" from the cast and crew were across the board. But there were obvious questions when it came to pulling off the intricate episode within the constraints of the traditional sitcom format. Shooting logistics were one thing. Finding clever ways to kill off castmembers — a pencil through a teenager's head or stabbing Mr. Feeny with a pair of scissors — was another story.
McCracken: There was concern from the network. They said to us, "Nothing can be graphic." They were all over that at the table read.
Menell: The dead Feeny was something we wondered, ""How are people going to react to that?"" But he wasn't dead!
Jacobs: I'll never forget something Jeff Katzenberg taught me. When he was at Disney [Katzenberg was a Studio Chairman from 1984 to 1994], I went in to him to speak about epic fantasy. His answer was that he felt it was extraordinarily important that the viewer knew the rules of the new world they were about to enter. That there were parameters that had to be set so that the audience would feel in a very stable surrounding and that they were in good hands. It helped me in my storytelling and certainly helped in the Scream episode. Rider as Shawn, through the episode, sets down the rules.
McCracken: We were going to do it in a way that was going to be fun. We wanted the shock value, we wanted to scare. But we understood that we had a young audience and we did not want them running to their parents saying it's now a horror show and they can't sleep for a week. I said, '""Look, here's how we're going to do this. The pencil is going to go in his head, but when he falls, he's going to leave a pencil trail behind him. That's going to break the suspense for the laugh."" No blood. If that doesn't work, I don't know what to do in terms of funny. The janitor in the trashcan, when he pulls him up, right before then we crack a big joke. We teed it up to see it coming. Making sure we're wink-wink.
Fishel: We were always operating under the impression that the show was about to be canceled any minute. It was always a surprise and a relief when it was picked up so we didn't worry too much about that.
Jacobs: As long as your numbers are up, there are two ways to go about [dealing with the network]: the way is to be very attentive and take notes. Or the other way to do it (which I always did), instead of making anyone feel like I was giving short shrift to notes, I'd keep them there longer than they'd want to be there. So if they gave you a note, you kept expanding on that note to the point where they would have to miss the next show, miss the next lunch, and didn't want to be there. I noticed my note sessions, by year three, got incredibly short.
Menell: Michael Jacobs doesn't back down from anyone or anything. If the network would tell him to cool it down, he would probably amp it up.
Jacobs: At that point, the numbers were good. Ted Harbert [President of ABC Entertainment from 1992 - 1996] ... didn't want to talk to me. [I was] a whiny and endless bee in [the studio's] ear. They decided a long time ago, ""You know what, as long as the numbers are good, it's better to avoid him and let him do what he wants.""
McCracken: The network went with this because they trusted us enough.
With the studios approval, McCraken took "And Then There Was Shawn" to his cast and crew.
McCracken: We did the table read and [the cast] all looked at me like, ""......wow.'"" They thought it would be fun. It was off the hook. But they didn't know how we were going to shoot it. Everyone was nervous about that. But I already had it in my head. As soon as I read it, I knew. It wasn't going to be shot like a typical show.
Friedle: I don’t think it was difficult for us to shift gears. Actually, it was probably exactly what we needed at the time.
Menell: [Jeff McCracken is] such a passionate guy. He was so excited. He gets a ton of the credit for that episode. You get a lot of different directors, but knowing he was on board, I was just happy. I knew what he would bring to it.
McCracken: By the virtue of us being a well-oiled machine, to do something like that, even with special effects… [the network] didn't know how I was going to do it, but I said, ""don't worry."" That was the joy of it. Inventing the way to do it. The week before we had a hiatus so that week they were building the set for us. We created fourth walls.
Strong: Jeff McCracken was an actor's biggest advocate. He started out as an actor himself and he made us feel like we could do no wrong, and he always treated us as equals, despite being at least 30 years older (and about four feet taller — seriously, he's ridiculously tall) than any of us. We trusted him with our very souls.
Savage: [In all the episodes] I remember lots of heated discussions about whether Cory should do this, or Topanga should put her left arm on this shoulder, or Rider should say this, or I should push this guy. When you watch it you don't think about it, but everything was a discussion.
McCracken: It was going to be shot like a one hour. Shooting it in pieces, special shots. [We would] still invite the audience to watch, but with only a couple of scenes in front of them. [The cast] got really jazzed about that, to shoot a show like a film was fun for them. We didn't rehearse it like a normal show — four days of rehearsal and shoot the fifth day. We had a table read, and the third day we were shooting. We shot right through the week.
Strong: The Scream episode was also one of our hardest. Jeff had made things very complicated for himself in terms of the camera coverage, and I remember him being super stressed out.
McCracken: When I was a young actor I did a Wes Craven film with Linda Blair. I had my horror chops introduced to me by a horror master. I love the genre for what it is, even acted in a couple, but never directed any.
Jacobs: There were a ton of differences in the show. It was almost shot filmic because it mimicked a film. There was plenty of it that played in front of the live audience. I'd say there was a greater percentage of pre-shooting that played in front of a live audience then we would normally do. We would pre-shoot 20 percent of a show — scenes that were difficult, scenes that involved action. I would say that show we pre-shot twice that.
Friedle: That was very rare for us. It might actually have been the only time that we ever did that. I completely understand why … We were laughing so much that it must have been a bit stressful for Michael and Jeff. We loved it. I really think it brought us all closer as a cast.
Strong: We actors could not stop laughing. I mean, it was a problem. We usually would break character to laugh once or twice an episode, but when we were filming the Scream episode, we were falling apart on every single line. That's not an exaggeration. You know how when you were a kid and you'd get the giggles and not be able to stop for a few minutes? That's what it was like shooting the Scream episode, except it lasted for hours.
In "And Then There Was Shawn," the comedy comes from every direction. Slapstick humor, meta jokes, even a handful of South Park references — there was nothing the cast and crew didn't squeeze into the framework of their horror parody.
McCracken: Michael is wild. He can go off and be as looney tune as the next comedy writer. But the thing that always pulled him back was the heart of the characters. What were they feeling? What were they experiencing? What was the arc? What were they facing? How did they deal with the obstacles?
Lawrence: The first two or three shows I had to learn how the set was run. Michael liked to have a real legitimate undertone to our comedy. The first three weeks was like a boot camp. I got 80 percent of the notes [laughs]. I was like, ""What am I doing wrong?"" It was me learning the way that it worked. Once I figured it out... We could have really serious moments in episodes that were not sitcom moments at all. Very real. And then the next show would be a complete spoof. I think Michael knows it works that way.
Jacobs: Many of the episodes had wild farce moments. We could have done this more often, but I perceived that the show, in its slot, on that evening, ran best when you realized the formula that Feeny was going to put something on the board. The cast was as adept at slamming doors and doing farce as it was at offering a very pure heart.
McCracken: Will Friedle was one of the funniest people. He does voiceover work like crazy. He was the funniest actor I have ever worked with. In terms of improvisation, spontaneity, imagination, creativity. He just blew me away.
Menell: He had Jim Carrey qualities. He was willing to do anything. We made him a little too dumb sometimes. Even he would say, ""Come on guys."" There was stuff we didn't do because we thought it was too ridiculous. He was just really, really funny.
Jacobs: For Eric Matthews, we started with a dependable brother and said, ""What kind of incredible moron can we turn this character into?"" No matter how much moron we gave you, you always wanted more. We were happy to supply it.
Friedle: I always said that you could never go too far with the character and the writers did their best every week to test that theory.
Jacobs: Will didn't understand what I found funny [laughs]. There was an episode I always remember, this episode where we basically did the Alanis Morissette story. There's a scene where he goes into the hangout, Chubby's, and [his girlfriend's] sitting next to him and he's listening to how saccharine sweet she is and he can't stand it. I kept telling him, ""it's not animated enough, not loud enough."" He said, ""But I'm telling this girl that I don't want her alive."" I tell him, ""Will, if you tell her with any sincerity, the audience doesn't like you, I don't like you."" He completely, wildly overplayed the scene and people couldn't stop laughing. The laughs were so incredible and sincere. Will learned that if the audience accepts you, there are very few parameters in a Jerry Lewis world that you can't get away with as long as you're not redundant. We did so many different lovely things for Will because of the one overriding aspect of his character: his incredible heart and love for his friends.
Friedle: Occasionally, Michael and I would make a bet on show night as to whether or not I could get a laugh on a certain line. I think he still owes me some cash.
Jacobs: Will could get away with absolutely anything. He used to bet me, ""Is this laugh track or is this laugh?"" And I told him, ""It's never going to be laugh track."" He decided to believe it.
Lawrence: I play more of the straight guy. I know that timing really well — how to set up the pitch for the guy who is going to knock it out of the park. Will was so comfortable. He's hilarious. It was a kind of synergy you don't have an explanation for. It just really worked.
Jacobs: One of my favorite lines in that episode is when Will and Matt Lawrence were told by Rider that ""it is the virgin who lives. The person engaged in sexual activity that is first to die."" Eric says, ""I'm dead."" And Matt says, ""I'm dead."" And Rider says, ""I'll get as sick as you can get without actually dying."" A giant laugh in the house.
Fishel: Our friendships made it super easy because we were so comfortable being goofy, having fun, and laughing together.
Strong: It was one of the few episodes where all of us were in scenes together, and so we were simply enjoying being an ensemble. But part of it was also just how freaking bizarre the script was. It was madness.
McCracken: We tried to keep it light all around it all the time. There's always a joke prior to the scare, and always after. When Feeny falls forward with scissors in his back, Danielle goes ""Aaaaaa!"" there's a joke to break it again. Once you get Kenny, and the pencil mark, and the screaming of Angela, that all worked to say we were going to take liberty with the horror film and we're going to spoof it. Having fun while addressing the break-up of Cory and Topanga.
Richard Lee Jackson, ""Kenny"": The cast was great on screen and off, I felt at the time like we really hit it off. They kept referring to me becoming a regular, but of course that was up to the producers. You could tell the whole cast and the producers had a groove with the show, which makes a guest role easy to come in and play my part — kind of like a pinch hitter in baseball. Just get up to the plate and take a few swings.
Jacobs: He was the fifth guy on the Star Trek pod, and he ain't coming back. Little rules like that make the audience comfortable.
McCracken: I think Menell wrote the first joke about them killing Kenny. Will and I on set said that, when he opened the door, [he would] give me the "howdy ho" reference. That joke was the gateway. To officiate more South Park.
Strong: South Park raged through Hollywood like napalm. I remember Will got a hold of one of the original tapes of their short film The Spirit of Christmas and we organized screenings for all the writers and the crew. So by the time the show was on Comedy Central, the whole Boy Meets World cast and crew were already complete fanatics.
Friedle: We were all obsessed after that.
Strong: It was the dark side of kid comedy. Everything our writers probably wished they could do but couldn't.
Next: Cameos and the Big Emotional Reveal
Another layer of meta comedy was added in the form of a cameo, a casting surprise that elevated the episode to ""sweeps worthy.""
Menell: When we got Jennifer Love Hewitt to guest star, that added something to it [too].
Savage: Boy Meets World was always having a whole host of fun guest stars. Especially with Michael, we would have interesting, old timer guest stars. Rue Mclachlan, Phyllis Diller, Buddy Hackett, Bernie Kopell — 50s and 60s and 70s comedians. We had an episode in the early years where Jim Abbott was on. I think [Jennifer] was going to happen. She was a big star and she was around anyway.
Friedle: I always had fun working with Love. Not only was she my girlfriend but also a close friend. There really is nothing like working with close friends. You know what they are going to do as actors, which allows you to play a little bit more with your characters. I remember how excited we both were when Michael mentioned that he wanted to put her on the show.
Jacobs: She was adorable. She was such a good sport. So cool on the set. Anything we asked her to do she would do and then she'd want to do more. 'Feffie.' Jennifer Love Feffeferman. She was very happy doing it. They were adorable together.
Menell: [The making out] was a little uncomfortable during the run-through [laughs]. We didn't know she was going to be a megastar!
Perhaps the biggest shock of the ""And Then There Was Shawn"" is its ending, a surprisingly poignant moment in the Shawn's character arc. At the end of the episode, the ""killer"" turns out to be Shawn himself, the entire madcap adventure a dream manifested from Shawn's own inabilities to deal with Cory and Topanga's failed relationship. The cast and crew saw it as a testament to the show's abilities.
Jacobs: I was very happy with that episode, not just because of the stylized benefits we got. How do you write an episode where one of the characters says, ""It is not okay with me, that the love you aspire to someday, isn't working anymore. And for that I will burn down the world."" And then you get that episode from that idea.
Menell: The fact that it was about Cory and Topanga's relationship, that was probably more infused by Michael Jacobs and the room than my initial draft.
McCracken: I have to say, one of the things we'd always talk about was, yeah, we liked the slapstick, we liked the humor. Norman Lear was always a great inspiration — All in the Family, The Honeymooners. There's always a great beating heart at the center of the show. Michael has a heart that way as well. At that time, our audience was very stressed about [Cory and Topanga breaking up]. We used Shawn as the conduit, the Greek chorus, linkage to our audience for their concern over [the break-up]. That was big for everyone. Shawn had broken up with Angela and it that was something people were already upset about. So the network loved it because it was dealing with what they perceived to be a great emotional through line. How we were doing that, they thought would be great because it would tie into Halloween.
Jacobs: There's a dichotomy of what the style was opposed to what the message was. The message at the end is that it's necessary for Shawn to know that Cory and Topanga are going to be okay or he was going to burn down the world. That was important to him. By association, it became important to the audience.
McCracken: And who was the killer? That was also the dynamic of the episode too. Figuring out who was the killer when everyone started to die off.
Strong: The worst was there was a kid who had been an extra with us for years — we had a rotating group of regulars who would be in the background in school scenes — who had the unfortunate job of being my double. Me in the killer suit. He had to stand opposite me for the final reveal that I'm the killer, and we had to shoot it two directions, so it would appear that I was looking at myself. And all of us — I mean all of us, even the actors off-camera — were dying laughing. I think it was the last shot of the night. And this poor guy who just wanted to get his paycheck as an extra, get the hell out of there, and maybe move on to big acting gigs someday — this poor guy had to endure take after take because none of us could keep a straight face, including him. Who do you think would get fired in that situation? He didn't, thank God, but I remember feeling horrible.
Savage: [Most episodes] we literally didn't go home until it was perfect. You're dealing with a lot of neurotic actors and writers. That's Hollywood.
McCracken: It was a great cast. I had a great time. I never cared to direct TV, really. But when you find great people to work with… it was really just a phenomenal time.
Strong: It's the one time I can remember Jeff yelling on set. And he needed to. We were a disaster. But by the next morning, we were all laughing about it together. It's one of my most cherished memories.
The rest is history. ""And Then There Was Shawn"" revealed the malleability of Boy Meets World and proved that when the writers and actors stuck to their guns, audiences would connect with the material.
McCracken: We showed the first cut to [ABC] and they couldn't believe how well it came out. They were ready to pounce on it and cut things out. But they looked at it and went, ""Wow."" We didn't even have music to it yet. Everything helped to create this special episode.
Menell: There was a little backlash. There were people frightened by the episode. So there was bad mail that came to ABC. ""This isn't the show we watch!""-type stuff.
Strong: I remember talking to some young kids years later and they called it the ""scary episode"" and they actually meant that — they were scared by the janitor. Our show was supposed to be for kids of all ages, but kids under 10 don't really get irony. They just see a scary movie.
Jacobs: That's going to be allowed if the audience recognizes it as a Halloween episode. You go a little bit farther and it's not a problem. If this is an episode that ran without that benefit, that would be a little harsh. Especially for a young audience. If you remember the way Feeny fell down... it was not farcical. He dropped to his knees and fell forward.
Fishel: I like doing shows and episodes that push the boundaries because I think the audience appreciates it and wants to watch that much more because you took that risk.
Jackson: As crazy as it is, I still have people I don't know message me on Facebook having seen me on Boy Meets World.
Strong: Over the years, the episodes people want to talk about with me the most are weirdest ones. We time traveled twice. We did some meta-commentary about our disappearing castmates during the graduation episode. We did an episode where Eric goes to visit the set of ""Kid Gets Acquainted with the Universe"" that mocked our own show and our own personalities.
Menell: You have a blank canvas, but you can't suddenly be a different show. The fans… and by the way, the hardcore fans of this show would point out any inconsistencies. 'Shawn would never do that!' But after seven years, you get the voice.
Strong: The Scream episode was our most free form and tongue-in-cheek. In retrospect, I wish we had done more like it. Hell, that's basically what Community's been doing.
Jacobs: What I think launched a sustained run for Boy was an incredible evolution of what you knew [and] thought you know to what you never really knew at all.
Menell: The only thing you get bogged down with is coming up with stories. Something new, something different while being true to the show and to the fans and to the characters.
Jacobs: In the beginning it was a kid show ... It grew up and all of a sudden people came. The cast was growing, the writers were growing, and the show was still growing. When the show was canceled [after Season 7], it still had some life left in it. But we had done everything we needed to do a complete television show.
Menell: The show grew. It became about Cory and Topanga. That wasn't planned in the first year. Then they started to connect and people liked that. [Laughs.] We used to sort of mock it. ""Who are these 19-year-olds getting married? It's insane."" But it built to that. A lot of the stories were built from life. A lot of Michael Jacobs life was in the show. Sometimes I felt it got a little too heavy, a little too dramatic. But at the same time, that's what gave it its credibility.
Jacobs: There were two conversations that I had with Ted Harbert that I'll never forget, where he basically called and said, ""I know this is fruitless, but you can not marry Cory and Topanga? They are 19 years old. Is this where we're headed? Can we discuss it?"" And I said, ""We've done our diligence. I believe if you look back generationally, the divorce rate is higher than it's ever been. Kids are getting married in their late 20s. A generation ago the divorce rate was significantly less and kids were getting married in their early 20s. Our grandparents got married at 19 and the divorce rate was about 4%.."" He's laughing at this point — Ted and I got along real well. So I say, ""You have a brand-new thing you aren't using: ABC.com. I'll make you a deal: Run a graphic on Sabrina on the bottom, 'Should Cory and Topanga get married or not?'"" And he said, ""We'll get 10,000 hits.'"" And I said, ""Let's see what 10,000 say."" In 15 minutes [after the graphic aired on TV], we got 220,000 hits, 98 percent of which said, ""What do you think we're waiting for?"" Ted called me the next day, ""Can you please marry them in November or February?""
McCracken: Taking a young cast like that — Ben and Will and Rider and Danielle — and watching them grow and evolve, was just a real treat. You can't ask for more than that.
Menell: When the show ended — I wasn't ready for it to end — it seemed like the natural time to end it. People go their separate ways. They go to New York. They say goodbye to Feeney. It was very emotional.
Savage: I'm glad we were able to do something for people that meant something to them. That's not easy to do this world.
Jacobs: In those [final] years, there was a woman who stopped me in the street. Somehow she knew me, which was odd because I'm not an on-camera person. She said, ""Are you Michael?"" And I said, ""I am."" This woman was 40 or 42 years old. And she put her hand on my shoulder and she said, ""I want to thank you."" I said, ""You're welcome... for what?"" She said, ""My father was a school janitor."" And she turned and walked away. She was referring to the episode where Chet Hunter, in order to stay in town longer than he ever has, takes a job as the janitor in the high school. The kids make tremendous sport of Shawn. And Shawn, at the end, is mopping the floor with Chet and there's a bond between Shawn and Chet that hadn't been there before. A precursor to Shawn suffering the death of his father later in the series. My point is, when you get stopped on the street and someone thanks you... there was never a day where I walked into that writer's room, or any of us, and didn't realize we were lucky and doing something worthwhile.
[Photo Credit: ABC (11)]
Follow Matt Patches on Twitter @misterpatches

There are some things we will always know about The Vampire Diaries. Stefan is unyieldingly sweet, Bonnie isn’t always around, Damon never actually leaves when he says he will, and Elena is always wrong about getting through the given ordeal the “easy” way. The one thing we blissfully forgot during these last few episodes is that these people are all in high school (except for Damon and Klaus, of course). And what comes with being a teenager stuck in a silly little town going to high school with a bunch of people who don’t understand you (and in the wake of a 10 PM town curfew too)? Rage, and lots of it. All this anger makes for an Elena we’ve not yet seen, and it may be driving her back to Damon already.
After finding that she does alright feeding on Matt’s blood, Elena makes her old boyfriend her own personal blood buddy, taking just a teensy bit from his veins, but not enough to quench her thirst or provoke the ripper brewing inside her. It seems to work since he’s eager to repay her for saving his life and sacrificing her own, but it’s clear this can’t last.
When Elena gets to her first class, History, she gets into a tussle with Rebekah, who’s all too eager to ruffle the new vamp’s feathers. Between barbs (coming from both sides) about being friendless, killing Alaric, and the fact that both girls have slept with Stefan, the episode quickly starts to feel like a hybrid of Sweet Valley High and the Maury Show. The fact that a pencil shank is involved doesn’t help the comparison. Still, as Elena pulls that pesky pencil out of her shoulder, I can't help but thank the TV powers that be that the scene was without hair-pulling. Give me pencil-daggers over hair-pulling any time.
It’s not long before Rebekah strikes again, taunting Elena with a compelled classmate whose neck is dripping with blood. The brand new vampire can’t contain herself, and the incident causes her rage to boil over (which for Elena isn’t really much above a loud simmer). Stefan convinces her she needs a break from school and convinces her to go to Rebekah’s ditching party. (Side note: Kids, is this a thing? How the hell do you get school folks to not notice the fact that all the cool/fun kids are gone after lunch? This ditch-day party thing can’t be real, right?)
When Elena gets there, it doesn’t take her much time to share a little chat with April, who confesses that she’s convinced her father’s death was no accident (if only she knew how right she was). In her continuing rage, Elena accuses Rebekah of killing the council members, which is a low blow for someone like Elena. Rebekah clearly never learned to control her own rage, and takes vengeance by taking Elena’s daylight ring and forcing her into a crevice for safety. When Elena finally braves the sunlight long enough to retrieve her ring, she lunges for her bag, where’s got the white oak stake, courtesy of one shirtless Damon. Luckily, Stefan is there to stop her.
Verging on an after school special voiceover, Stefan talks her off her rage ledge with two very important talking points. Yes, “rage is bad” made it in there, but it wasn’t what drove it home. Step one was the fact that millions of vampires would die with Rebekah, and step two was that the guilt would destroy her. Elena knows what that looks like, because she spent all last season witnessing the effects on Stefan. Still, she can’t just let Rebekah’s ring trick be the end of it: she makes sure to do a student-body-impressing keg stand on her way out.
Then things get magical. A little too magical for my tastes. Stefan takes Elena on a magical mystery motorcycle ride, where she somehow uses her vampire abilities to defy gravity and stand on the back of the motorcycle and reach nirvana while looking like a circus bear. Look, I want Stefan and Elena to have sweet moments as much as the next girl, but this is too much. Luckily, it’s followed by a rabid makeout. Unluckily, that’s cut short by Elena’s sudden reaction to whatever was affecting Rebekah earlier (apparently, this includes visions of Damon). It turns out, our good friend Buffy (the nameless vampire hunter) poisoned the keg with werewolf venom, and it’s killing Elena. Klaus is miraculously willing to save Elena (because she still has the ability to serve some purpose for him yet again, oh my), but not before she has a vision of Damon telling her that the reason she keeps seeing him instead of Stefan is that she’s more like Damon than she is like Stefan.
Now, it could be that Elena is having fever dreams about Damon because she drank his blood. However, that is proved wrong when Rebekah (who also drank the werewolf-venom-infested beer) has a fever dream of her own about Matt saying she’s undeserving of love and her ripping his heart out. It turns out, she’s just having fever dreams about Damon because like Rebekah, who’s lusting after Matt even after she tried to kill him, Elena still has a thing for Damon. Plain and simple. And of course, she adds fuel to her own fire when she overfeeds on Matt in a fit of rage, forcing Damon to step in and undermine Stefan by taking up Elena’s Vampire School teaching duties. And the strange thing is that Damon seems to be right, but we’ve spent the entire episode hearing about how Caroline thinks Stefan is the best teacher when it comes to transitioning from human to vampire. Is Elena just going down a dark path because Stefan’s road is too hard? Or was her fever dream right? Is her vampire personality more suited to Damon’s style than her human one was? Look at Caroline, she went from crazy, obsessive girl-freak, to a mildly-obsessive, sex-crazed sweetheart. Vampirism changes people, and Elena is clearly changing. This also means a Salvatore brother reunion is looking less and less likely each passing week.
But she’s not the only one morphing before our eyes. After Buffy attacks Tyler to extract his werewolf venom, Klaus moves back into town to set up protection around his “assets” (see: hybrids in a post-doppelganger world), which includes giving Tyler three bodyguards. When Caroline comes back to grab him for Rebekah’s party, he’s distant and cold, refusing to leave or to let her stay. It’s because, just a few rooms over, he has his dirty little secret. Haley, one of the werewolves who helped him break his sire bond, has just flounced into town and she’s all over Caroline’s hybrid hunk. Klaus does the math for us: Tyler had a little sexual indiscretion during his spiritual awakening. Tyler’s stunned look confirms it, and the only question that remains is which one will be the one to break the news to sweet Caroline? And what will she do when she finds out?
Well, she might have to put whatever vengeance plans she might have post-secret for at least an episode. Buffy is sticking around, and now he’s got the attention (and protection) of Klaus. Buffy approaches Jeremy because only vampire hunters and future vampire hunters can see the “nice ink” on his arm, the tattoo Jeremy mentioned last week. Buffy enlists Jeremy to help him get to the town vampires, and luckily, he’s working with Dr. Fell and Damon. After Damon gets booby-trapped in Buffy’s trailer, he knows full well the problem they’re dealing with, so Dr. Fell and Jeremy help lure Buffy to the hospital, where Damon and Klaus trap him and interrogate him until Klaus realizes what he is: He’s one of “the Five.” Whatever it is, it’s something Klaus wants because when Buffy pulls the bomb trigger on his booby trap, Klaus makes sure to save him and promise him complete and total safety. Unfortunately, Buffy doesn’t even understand the illustrious group he’s a member of, so he isn’t able to give us any details before the episode ended. Hey, they’ve got to leave is with a cliffhanger of some sort.
Follow Kelsea on Twitter @KelseaStahler
[Photo Credit: CW]
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